Hyrule Warriors
by MiniJen
Summary: It has often been told that whenever darkness covers Hyrule, a lone hero arises to restore peace and balance. However, as the Black Witch Cia rises up with the intent of conquering the kingdom, Link may not be enough to stop her on his own. As war erupts across the land, friends and foes from across the ages will come together and fight to decide Hyrule's fate. A novelization of HW
1. Prologue: The Balance of the Triforce

**AN~Oh look! Another distraction for myself! Yay! But seriously folks, I recently got my hands on Hyrule Warriors and I absolutely adore it so much, especially its story. However, since it's such a gameplay-heavy campaign, I realized that the story doesn't get as much importance or detail as it should, and so hooray for the wonders of fanfiction to fix that! I figured that writing a novelization of Hyrule Warriors would most likely be easier than my earlier attempts at novelizing a Zelda game (I've tried both Wind Waker and Majora's Mask, both with less than satisfying results), since HW is chock full of characters to flesh out and a plotline that is just BEGGING for more detail/emotion/drama/ect. And, so I present to you this, my humble (most likely very lengthy) novelization of Hyrule Warriors! Now of course, I do plan on fleshing things out quite a bit, adding more dialogue, backstories, details, scenes ad even diverting from the plot quite a bit in some places cause like I said, it can be kinda basic otherwise. And so be aware of that. I don't plan on dropping any characters from the plot (not even Proxi, who I thought was a useless waste of space to the plot anyway, but whatever, she'll be our Navi of the game I suppose), however I do plan on adding a few… ;) And yes, I am not going to hold tightly to Zelda canon, since the game doesn't do that anyway. And so, before we begin, allow me t give you the basic rundown of ideas! **

**Genres: Action (of course), Drama, Angst (again, of course considering my writing), Romance (Link/Zelda shipping quite HEAVILY later on, so be aware; plus there's also some light one-sided Link/Cia (and Lana) in here so yeah…), Adventure, ect. **

**Characters: Link, Zelda, Impa, Lana, Cia, Sheik, Ganondorf, Zant, Ghirahim, Volga, Wizzro, Midna, Agitha, Darunia, Ruto, Fi, Great Fairy, Proxi, and others…. ;)**

**Rating: T or whatever the equivalent is, for violence (and LOTS of it! This is HW after all!), some suggestiveness (cause Cia, you know), but other than that, it will be along the same lines of tone and style as my other fics, so don't be too wary!**

**Anyway, that's all I really have to say before we begin! I hope you all enjoy! (Oh, and obvious spoilers ahead for anyone who has not played/finished HW, amongst other Zelda games)**

* * *

_MiniJen Presents_

_**Hyrule Warriors**_

_**The Novelization**_

_Prologue: The Balance of the Triforce_

_Before time began, the world was void and empty, completely without form, order, or life. That is, until the three golden goddesses descended upon this chaotic plane, and cultivated their creation upon it. _

_Din, the goddess of power, formed the solid red earth with her strong flaming arms. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, brought order to the chaos and established the laws of this world. And Farore, the goddess of courage, breathed life into all creatures that lived there, who would dwell upon the solid earth and uphold the order and laws of the land. _

_Upon the completion of their great work, the goddesses departed from their new creation, but not before leaving behind a symbol of their divine power and providence. _

_The Triforce._

_Most who live in the land of Hyrule know this ancient tale. They have passed it down through countless generations, so that it will never be forgotten. _

_However, like all great legends, there is much that is unknown to the people of each and every age. Secrets that are well kept, and well-guarded._

_Most do not know just how important the Triforce is to maintaining balance within the world, and how many times that balance had almost been shattered entirely. _

_This is one of those tales…_

It has been said that the Triforce is the harmonious union of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. These three virtues are what bind all souls of the land together, and each is of equal importance. Because of the strength that this balance poses, the sacred relic has been the object of countless battles between the forces of light and darkness.

The promise of the Triforce's power brought out the deepest greed in the hearts of many men, and yet few had the strength to even try to claim it as their own. That is, until one great evil came into the world, its mind filled with wicked desires to conquer the land of Hyrule using the omnipotent power of the Triforce. Time and time again, this same evil rose up, often times in different forms, and laid its claim upon the golden relic. Each time the Triforce fell into the clutches of this evil, Hyrule was plunged into misery.

And yet, not all hope was lost. For in every age, whenever Hyrule was threatened by this darkness and destruction assaulted the helpless people of the kingdom, a hero clad in green would restore peace to the land.

The first of these instances occurred countless centuries ago, in an era when the sky and surface were worlds apart and the land was devoid of most human life. The people had taken to the isle above the clouds for refuge, as did the Triforce, but even that did not stop the dark desires of the evil one. In its lust for power, it sought to destroy and conquer all, but before its wicked intentions could be realizes, it was stopped by the Chosen Hero of the Goddess Hylia. The hero sealed the evil one away, where its dark soul remained… for a time.

Many years later, the evil one was born anew and its strong ambitions for Hyrule and the Triforce were rekindled. However, the evil one was only able to obtain a fragment of the Triforce, the essence of Power. The essences of Wisdom and Courage were given to those who were most worthy of wielding them, the wizened princess of the land, and the legendary Hero of Time. Together, they thwarted the evil one's plans once more, and saved Hyrule before it fell into eternal darkness.

And yet, the evil one was persistent, and even its Twilit prison could not contain it for too long. It broke free once again and sought to wreak havoc upon Hyrule, mounting a devastating assault upon the unprepared kingdom. And yet, when it seemed as though all light had faded from the land and shadows covered all, the Hero of Twilight appeared, aided on his journey by the Princess of the Twilight Realm herself. With the princess of Hyrule, they managed to stop the evil once more and drive its influence back into the depths of darkness where it belonged.

However, it was during another one of these dark times that it became quite apparent that this cycle could no longer continue, lest Hyrule be destroyed from the continuous sieges laid upon it. And so it was that when the evil one was defeated yet again, the legendary hero split the spirit its spirit into four fragments, finally breaking the constant cycle of destruction. Each fragment was sealed away securely, so that they could not reunite and be reborn.

Three of the fragments were scattered across time and space: one in the era of the sky, one in the era of the Hero of Time, and one in the era of Twilight. The final fragment was sealed away in a sacred temple built upon holy ground, imprisoned by the blade of evil's bane, the very sword that the hero had used to strike down the evil one in every age.

With the spirit of evil tightly locked away, it seemed as though Hyrule would finally see peace…

_For generations, Hyruleans have told the tale of the War Across the Ages. This is how it begins…_

In order to maintain the all-important balance of the Triforce, the golden goddesses devised a plan that they hoped would ensure peace for all who lived in Hyrule. They decided to appoint a great sorceress to watch over the Triforce, a young woman born of a clan of powerful, yet benevolent magic users. Upon being called by the goddesses, this young woman accepted her new role dutifully, and so she would not be interrupted in her incredibly important task, she isolated herself away from the rest of the world, living alone in quiet solitude for countless years.

She lived deep in the forest, far from mortal eyes, constantly watching over the balance of the Triforce day in and day out. As payment for her great work, the goddesses granted the sorceress the incredible gift to see through time and space itself, glimpsing at each and every era of mortal history. Through her magic, she could see across the ages, able to read the fates of all who ever lived, but, as she had been instructed by the goddesses, never interfering.

That is, until a unique soul caught her attention.

The soul of the hero of legend, eternally reborn whenever Hyrule's need was greatest. With immense interest, the sorceress watched each of the hero's many lives and incarnations, observing each daring feat and brave escapade that he accomplished in his missions to save the land from the forces of darkness. Never before had the sorceress seen a soul that shined so brightly, one that was so pure and full of light and courage. She felt herself drawn to it, captivated by its unbreakable, uncontainable strength and goodness. And as time went on, that interest grew to admiration, and that admiration soon turned to affection.

And yet, through her powers, the sorceress should have seen that the hero was bound to another: the soul of the princess of the land, the reincarnated goddess Hylia herself. Instead, she saw only a soul that was unlike any she had ever known.

However, the sorceress was not entirely ignorant to the princess' presence in the heroes' lives. In each and every age, she was always there, always beside him; and, in almost every era, it was the princess whom the hero developed deep affections for, affections that were always returned in full. Upon seeing this, the sorceress grieved deeply, for she knew that, because of the heavy burden upon her shoulders, she could never be with the soul of the hero she had grown to love so dearly. Not only was time, space and responsibility keeping them apart; so too was the princess.

And, while the sorceress was preoccupied, a fragment of darkness, locked in its prison, saw an opportunity.

The darkness, cunning and perceptive, took notice of the sorceress's sorrow and envy, and it knew just how to utilize those bitter feelings to its advantage. The whispering darkness soon began to worm its way into her heart, its soft, deceptive voice promising her everything that she desired: _"Do as I say…" _the darkness vowed to the unknowing sorceress. _"And you shall finally be with your beloved hero… forever…" _

This promise drew the sorceress in, and the thought that she could finally have the hero all to herself enticed her immensely. She willingly allowed the darkness into her soul, and once it was there, it pushed the light away and warped her affection and curiosity into a perverse lust and a desperate desire to possess the legendary hero's soul.

Of course, what the sorceress could not have known was that this evil had desires of its own… To use the Triforce to resurrect itself and conquer Hyrule once again, as well as taking revenge upon the soul of the hero who had locked it away.

Having pushed the light away from her heart, the darkness compelled the sorceress to open the Gate of Souls, a pathway that connected each era of Hyrule's history together, the doorway of time itself. Monsters from across the ages poured through the gate, bringing ruin to the land of Hyrule once more. And the sorceress, corrupted by both the encroaching darkness as well as the twisted lust of her own heart, began to plot her conquest of both Hyrule and its hero…

* * *

**Yay! So we're getting the ball rolling with all this lore aren't we? :D Sorry if this was a little lore intensive though, I just wanted to get the overall prologue out of the way so we'll know what to expect going in. Next chapter and all of the ones after it, we'll have actual characters, dialogue, plot and everything else (including the smashing action that HW is known for). But anyway, if you enjoyed this and would like to see more follow/favorite and don't forget to REVIEW please! (BTW, this does by NO means mean that I am putting my Bound Destinies Trilogy on hold! This is just a fun little side project that I felt like doing so yeah!) Anyway, until next time! :D**


	2. The Armies of Ruin

_Ok, well I know its sorta been a long time coming, but here it is! The first actual chapter of Hyrule Warriors! Yay! For our first one, we have mostly character development, introductions, plot building and some foreshadowing, plus fleshing out the intro of the game a whole lot cause I needed to. But before we begin I would just like to say how AMAZED I am by all of the support you guys have given me. 29 FOLLOWERS FOR 1 CHAPTER!? DANG! I can't even begin to express how stupefied I am by that, and so I promise to make this as awesome as I can! And so, I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has followed/favorited so far: BluBlazeDragon, Burning Light and Crystal, Calmia Mind, Darknight48, DarthBane15, Delicate Strawberry Sama, Elemental-Aura, Farli30519, Flameshield, GerudoSpirit, JazalGoldmane, Larsmen, Lovely girl 10, Marasia, MeIIonCoIIie, Nintendoman01, RandomButLoved, Silver2350, WAM-Hope, Zelda the Wise, bobolobo, carlosraruto, erico637, gamer55551, jridge, kittykruger, whitworth5274, x102reddragon, .tsubasa19, CupcakePride101, GO ZeldaXLink, Legendoffun, Legionary Prime, ToxicChey13, espeonlover, and kittykruger! I seriously cannot say it enough, but THANK YOU! And, thank you also to all 16 of you who reviewed so far! _

_**MeIIonCoIIie:** That face... its intrigued, is it not? ;D_

_**Lovely girl 10:** Thanks! I plan on diverting from the gave in some places, but I do intend on sticking with the basic storyline, just so you'll know what to expect._

_**Legionary Prime:** I love love LOVE the designs for Link and Zelda in HW! I agree in saying they are my favorite depictions of them ever! :D_

_**Zelda the Wise:** Thanks! And I'm sure you can catch up before I get towards the end, since it will probably be quite a while! And yes, I do plan on giving the plot a great deal more attention and beefing it up quite a bit... ;)_

_**WAM-Hope:** Yeah, that's exactly why I want to write a novelization of it! And oh believe me; while the main ship here will be Zelink, I do plan on finding ways to throw in some snippets of Link/Cia (because that's one of my new OTPs personally!) and some Link/Lana as well... ;)_

_**RandomButLoved**: I liked that there was a narrator in the game; thought it was a nice change of pace and I hope it opens up more doors for voice acting in future Zelda games. And yeah, basically I plan on combining stuff from the game with my own original ideas, so I hope you like it. And as far as Cia goes, imagine how I depicted Veress or Veran and just up the crazy levels like 100% and throw in a stalker crush for Link while you're at it (just kidding! I do plan on making Cia's character deep and interesting though!) And yes! I have read Heartbreaker and absolutely loved it! _

_**Catnip101**: So am I! :D_

_**Marasia**: I think so too! I hope you'll enjoy!_

_**Valkyrie Elysia:** Well, here you go! :D_

_**Nintendoman01:** Oh yes it certainly is wonderful! :D I could pretty much play it forever (or at least until I finish Adventure mode, which I still haven't done!)_

_**GO ZeldaXLink:** Yeah, I loved Hyrule Warriors from the moment I saw that first trailer months ago! Haha! And as far as W&amp;C goes, I plan on working on it after I post this, then L&amp;S, and then another chapter for this, sorta in that order, or depending on whatever I really feel like writing. _

_**CupcakePride101:** Yeah, I was careful not to spoil the game for myself until I played it, and so I was quite surprised in several parts! But thanks! Hope you enjoy!_

_**silverhawk88:** If I could think of a way to add it after L&amp;S, that would be totally awesome. Possibly writing a sequel set in the aftermath of HW as a fourth entry into the trilogy could be interesting, but as this stands, its pretty much just a novelization and unconnected to the trilogy... :P _

_**GerudoSpirit**: Thanks! You kinda can't help but feel bad for Cia... :(_

_**Legendoffun**: So do I! XD_

_**DarthPhoenixFire:** I love HW too! Hope you enjoy! :D_

_Wooo, that took a while, but it was worth it for you guys! Again, thank you all so much! I know that you will love this story just as much as I already love writing it (seriously this first chapter was a BLAST to write!). And so, before we begin, I'd like to say that the very beginning of this chapter is set like ten years before HW, with adorable little kid Zelda because I thought that would be a cute intro. And so, without any further ado, LET'S GET STARTED!_

* * *

_Chapter 1: Armies of Ruin_

The little princess of Hyrule patiently sat in bed as she awaited her guardian to come tuck her in as she did every night. No more than eight, the young royal kept her eyes trained on the door of her room as she folded her hands above her soft, downy covers and hummed her lullaby to herself to pass the time. Her Sheikah guardian always seemed to like to keep her waiting on the nights that she had promised to tell her a story, but the princess didn't mind. After all, she knew that it would be worth the wait.

Soon enough, the princess's most devoted attendant soon arrived, much to her uncontainable delight. The Sheikah woman gave the princess a warm smile in greeting before striding over to her bedside and taking a seat as she usually did. "Good evening, princess," she said, noticing how the royal had begun shifting anxiously in her sheets. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Impa!" the princess huffed impatiently, pouting at the mere suggesting of sleep. "You promised you'd tell me a story first!"

Impa grinned and nodded, knowing that there was no getting out of any sort of promise she made to the princess. "Yes, I did," the Sheikah woman, who was only in her early twenties, replied. "What story would you like to hear, Zelda? A tale from the Gorons? Perhaps an old Zora fable? Maybe an ancient Kokiri rhyme?"

"No, no!" Zelda shook her head, her bright blue eyes alight with excitement, as she had already thought this through. "Tell me a story passed down by the Sheikah!"

"A Sheikah tale, hm?" Impa grinned slightly, knowing that stories handed down through her race were quite popular with the young princess. "Well, I might be able to remember one that we pass down every hundred years or so… If you'd like to hear it."

"Yes!" the princess exclaimed with a huge smile, clasping her hands together with excitement, for she knew that her guardian always told the best stories. "Please, Impa, tell it to me!"

"Very well then," the Sheikah guardian said as she prepared to tell her tale. "There are many tales passed down by the Sheikah tribe, but this is one of our most treasured and ancient," she began somewhat dramatically, appealing to the young princess's wide imagination. "It is foretold that there is a constant cycle that repeats throughout Hyrule's history, one that binds two souls together to untie against another. It all began when this land was besieged by a vicious attack from a great evil, centuries ago. Darkness covered all, but when it seemed as though hope had died and the hour of doom was at hand, a great hero arose and restored peace and light to the frightened people. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he pushed the dark one away, and, with the aid of the princess of Hyrule, sealed its dark power. However, the dark one was indignant; it refused to give up its claim to power so easily. And so, it cursed the souls of the hero and the princess, vowing that it would constantly be reborn alongside them, until it could wipe them both out of existence. And indeed, the hero and the princess were born again, many times throughout Hyrule's history, along with the evil one. And yet in every age, they managed to defeat the evil one and give peace to Hyrule once more, never failing in their shared destiny of keeping the land safe. And would you like to know how?"

"Yes!" Zelda said with wide eyes, completely engrossed in Impa's tale.

"Because they had each other," she concluded with a small smile. "Through the deep bond that they shared, they were able to triumph over any and all darkness they faced. And because of that, they were able to bring hope to Hyrule in each and every age."

The princess smiled contently upon hearing such lovely, romantic notions, though she understood that the story was over and it was time for bed as Impa rose to stand. "Goodnight, your highness," the Sheikah guardian said with a soft smile as she tucked the princess securely into bed.

However, as Impa dimmed the candlelight on the nightstand and turned to leave the room, Zelda called out to her with one last question. "Impa?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Do you think I'll meet a hero someday and restore peace to Hyrule with him?" she asked a bit drowsily, though the thought of being involved in something so romantic and heroic enticed her innocent excitement.

Impa frowned slightly, knowing what else came along with such things, things that she had not told Zelda for she was too young to hear them now. "Perhaps someday…" she said ambiguously as she closed the door, leaving the princess to sleep for the night before she let out a long sigh and muttered her last statement to herself. "But I pray that you will never have to face such a cruel fate, child…"

* * *

_Ten Years Later…_

The grassy meadow was filled with both warm, luscious sunlight and the light, lofty sounds of harp strings trilling through the area. The princess of Hyrule smiled contentedly to herself as she gently played her lullaby upon her beloved golden instrument, cherishing the rich sound that it produced as she looked around her, seeing all of the beauty she was surrounded with. Her kingdom was truly a sight to behold, with its rolling green hills, distant, high-peaked mountains, pure blue streams, and the shining silhouette of the castle's pristine towers rising high several miles away. With a sigh of satisfaction, Zelda closed her eyes and breathed it all in, wishing that she could freeze this beautiful scene of her peaceful, prosperous land in time forever, since this was the sort of Hyrule she had always known throughout all her eighteen years.

However, as the princess had her eyes closed, she failed to see the brilliant blue skies suddenly blacken and a vile presence begin to overtake the land. She didn't notice these things until the sounds of nature singing along her harp's song suddenly silenced all at once, and that the ground beneath her feet began to rumble subtly. Troubled by this drastic change, Zelda ceased her song and opened her eyes, seeing the shadows that had covered the land all around her, filling her heart with an unspeakable fear. For some reason, her gaze was directed away from her harp and instead guided to the fields stretched out before her, where she was greeted with a horrifying sight.

A great expanse of pitch-black shadows covered the land for as far as the eye could see, banishing all forms of light and instead bringing with it a cloud of darkness and evil. Zelda gasped as she noticed that this cloud of malevolence was not stationary; with each passing second, it was growing closer and closer to her position, threatening to swallow her up as well, along with the rest of her kingdom.

The princess's flight instinct immediately kicked in, even though she had no idea what this darkness was or where it had come from. Her harp slipped out of her grasp as she began to back away from it warily, and the moment she realized that the shadows had no intentions of stopping, she turned on her heel and began to run away from it for the sake of her life, not even seeing as the darkness ate up her treasured harp as it lay on the ground behind her.

Her heart pounding with adrenaline, Zelda raced away from the inky blackness, glancing behind her every now and then to measure the distance that separated her from it. Fear and dread coursed through her veins as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but it was quickly becoming apparent that would not be fast enough to escape this encroaching darkness. All too soon, the shadows swelled menacingly above her, before they began to crash down upon her like an ocean wave. The princess let out a scream of terror as she felt the cold tendrils of darkness pull her down, until they finally consumed her and her kingdom entirely.

* * *

Zelda's frightened scream carried over from the world of her nightmare into the waking world as she awakened with a start, springing upright into a sitting position upon her bed. Her breathing was still small and shallow as she looked around her bedroom with wide eyes, looking for any signs of the despicable darkness that haunted her dreams, but finding only the soft morning light streaming in through her balcony window.

Before the princess could even collect her thoughts, her door burst open, startling her even more.

"Princess! What's wrong?! Are you alright?!" her concerned guardian asked, looking around the room as she tightly gripped the small knife that she always kept on hand in place of her giant blade and glanced around for any signs of possible danger.

Zelda let out a sigh as she relaxed, running a hand through her long blonde locks. "Yes, Impa, I am alright…" she said, trying to convince herself more than Impa. "But… I have to admit that I am worried… That same nightmare that I told you about keeps haunting me…"

Impa nodded solemnly, understanding the princess's concern. "I see…" she said, taking a step closer to the Zelda's bedside. "And you say that these shadows that chase you in your dream, they get faster and faster each time, yes?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, every time," she said, biting her lip anxiously. "And this time, they even caught up with me! I wish I knew what they meant…"

"Hm…" the Sheikah guardian mused thoughtfully, before coming to a conclusion that she hoped was false. "An omen, perhaps, of dark times ahead for Hyrule…"

"Dark times?" the princess wondered with a frown, praying that her kingdom would not have to face any such hardships or troubles. If there was one thing that Zelda absolutely hated, it was having to see her kingdom or her people under any sort of threat. It was for that reason that she had asked Impa to train her in the ways of battle several years ago, so that she would not sit idly by while Hyrule was under siege. The princess wanted to be prepared in case she ever had to fight for her beloved kingdom's safety.

Impa also frowned upon noticing Zelda's worried expression. "Do not fret, your highness," she said consolingly, placing a hand on the young royal's shoulder. "Whatever is about to befall Hyrule, remember that there is hope for this land, no matter what…"

The princess smiled slightly upon hearing this, though her fears were still not set to ease, as the Sheikah guardian could tell. Ever since she was appointed to the position as Zelda's caretaker and advisor years ago, Impa's highest priority was keeping the princess both safe and happy, two things that were not difficult tasks considering the fact that Zelda had always been kind, intelligent and well-mannered since her childhood. And yet, she had always hoped that the princess would never have to face the same darkness that her ancestors had battled against across the ages, knowing that it was an incredibly dangerous and daunting task indeed. But fortunately, Impa knew that if Zelda was going to be one of the fated ones, at the very least she would not be alone in counteracting this darkness.

"However," the Sheikah guardian continued after a beat of silence. "If your premonitions are indeed true, perhaps it is finally time…"

"Oh, Impa, you don't mean…?" Zelda trailed off, already understanding from the countless stories that her guardian had told her throughout her childhood.

"Yes," Impa said gravely, already glancing towards the princess's desk across the room, where a set of rather iconic clothing rested, folded neatly. Zelda also directed her gaze there, looking upon the clothes that had been passed down protected by the royal family for generation. "Perhaps it is time that we locate… him…"

The princess kept her gaze locked on the clothes as she slowly and silently slipped out of bed and came to stand near the desk along with her guardian. Both of them said nothing for what seemed like ages as they looked upon the clothes and thought about how important they were and exactly what they symbolized. However, before too long, Impa finally took notice of the piece of blue fabric peeking out from underneath the green tunic on top, something that aroused her curiosity, though Zelda already knew well what it was.

In confusion, the Sheikah guardian gently pulled the long strip of blue out of the pile, holding the fabric in her hands and noting how it was newly-sown compared to the rest of the ancient clothes. "Zelda…" she began with a hint of exasperation, raising an eyebrow at the princess. "What is this?"

A small smile played upon Zelda's light pink lips as she looked upon her creation, admittedly proud of the gold and red stitch work of the royal crest she had labored many hours over towards the bottom of the blue stretch of cloth. "A scarf…" she said somewhat sheepishly, noting the unamused look that Impa was giving her, for the Sheikah guardian always hated breaking tradition. "Oh, come on, Impa!" she protested, not even needing Impa to say anything to know that she didn't approve. "I worked so hard on it! I just thought it might be a nice change, you know? A way to differentiate him from the ones of the past, maybe even a sort of tribute in a way. What harm could it possibly do?"

The Sheikah guardian sighed and shook her head, though she could not hide her growing grin. "I suppose you're right," she said as she folded the scarf neatly and tucked it under the tunic with care. "After all, it matters little what he wears as long as he bears the right qualities. Hyrule will need his strength if it is to be threatened by darkness once more…" Solemnly, Impa turned towards the stained glass windows lining the walls and looked at the colored light streaming in through them. Zelda followed her gaze and let out a soft sigh, hoping that the shadows that haunted her dream would not destroy the light that her kingdom needed to survive.

"Which is exactly why we must make haste and find him…" Impa continued with finality, confirming Zelda's thoughts and fears all at once. "The reborn Spirit of the Hero…"

* * *

Impa sighed inaudibly as she glanced ahead towards Zelda, who walked a few steps before her. She had been opposed to this suggestion ever since the princess had mentioned it, but she knew that there would be no arguing with the headstrong royal. The Sheikah guardian couldn't fathom why the princess took so much pride in the Hylian army; after all, most of the soldiers that composed it were little more than spineless cowards, far too afraid to get into any kind of fray for the sake of the kingdom and its royal family. Only the highest ranking officers, those who directly served under Impa, were actually considered to be of any worth, since they had years of experience behind them, and they had been trained to leap into battle without a moment's doubt.

And yet, the elite forces were not the group that Zelda had proposed looking for the next chosen hero amongst. She had asked Impa if they could go out among the new recruits, the freshest faces of the army, many of whom still did not properly know how to even wield a sword yet. The Sheikah guardian had not questioned the princess's judgment quite yet, but she knew that if trouble was indeed about to befall Hyrule, then it would be better if they found the chosen hero sooner than later, and certainly he wouldn't be among the lackluster newest of the new.

Glancing down over the side of the wall of the upper walkway they were striding along, Impa silently observed the new recruits along with Zelda, trying to figure out what she might have seen in any of them. She could tell from the princess's thoughtful expression that she was seeing something that she wasn't amongst the ranks of relatively young men as they trained within the lower courtyard. And yet Zelda's light blue eyes were hopeful and full of examination, watching with careful interest as the practiced their sword play and skills, as un-honed and basic as they were.

"Princess, are you quite certain about this?" Impa finally spoke up, her doubt clearly showing in her tone. "They're only new recruits, barely even enlisted. I doubt that we will find any fully-fledged heroes here."

"Maybe not," Zelda said, keeping her eyes trained on the soldiers as she spoke. "But what can it hurt to look?"

The Sheikah guardian sighed with a frown, casting another gaze upon the constantly training troops. "Forgive me for saying so, princess, but I believe we would be wiser looking elsewhere," she said dismissively, shaking her head as she turned her red-eyed gaze away from the recruits.

The princess frowned to herself upon hearing her guardian's doubts, knowing that they were founded and yet she wanted to believe that they would find someone of worth amongst the group of stalwart soldiers she saw before her. Something inside of her, be it instinct or something else, had told her that this was the right place to look, even if she had not found a sign of any sort of chosen hero yet. Perhaps her instincts had been wrong, but she could have sworn by the feeling that she had gotten earlier that she was exactly on the mark.

However, no more than a second later, both Zelda and Impa were broken out of their respective thoughts as a sudden clatter sounding out from nearby caught their attention. Intrigued by this interruption from the humdrum of the usual sounds of the training yard, the princess ran ahead of Impa, who was still following behind her and thinking little of the commotion. With wondering eyes, Zelda leaned over the stone wall of the walkway and looked down, watching with interest at the scene playing out before her.

A group of recruits was gathered near the eastern wall of the courtyard, crowded together in a wide circle as they appeared to be spectating on a sparring match. Two figures stood apace from one another, baring practice weapons and prepared to duel under the supervision of a training captain. Such a scene normally would have not peaked the princess's attention so much, but she found two things that specifically prompted her to continue watching: the fact that the other soldiers were making such a commotion over this spar for some reason, and the fact that one of the two soldiers who were about to fight caught her eye for a number of reasons.

Even from far away, Zelda could see that he was a young man, about her age. What struck her from a first glance though was not only the fact that, unlike his peers, he chose not to wear the traditional soldier's helmet along with his uniform, but also his confident posture and certain stance; the way he held his wooden sword and shield was perfect, as if he had years of practice, and before the skirmish even began, the princess could already tell that he would emerge the victor.

With keen interest, Zelda kept her eyes trained on this young man and nothing else, to the point that she did not even hear the shouts of encouragement from the other soldiers cheering from the sidelines. Instead, she merely watched as the other soldier rushed towards him with adequate speed, though the focus in the young man's pose was clearly evident. In a movement so fast the princess barely saw it, he raised his shield and firmly blocked the other soldier's spear, the tip of it colliding with the wooden surface squarely. With solid strength, the young man pushed the spear back with his shield and, as the other soldier swung broadly towards him, he leapt high into the air, with an agility and skill that surprised even the princess, who had years of fighting experience herself. And finally, with a crisp, powerful shout, the young man pounced down upon his opponent, his wooden sword meeting squarely with the other soldier's metal helmet with enough force to knock him unconscious instantly.

Zelda's jaw dropped in amazement as she watched the young man skillfully back flip away from his now-defeated opponent, having never seen such raw talent in one of her soldiers before. She was completely bewildered by this young man, who certainly had to be a fresh recruit, and yet he wielded a blade as though he was a master. As the young man sheathed his practice sword and put away his shield, the princess continued to watch him carefully, only now hearing some of the calls of congratulations that the other soldiers were sending towards him. "Great job, Link!" one of the soldiers called out, finally giving Zelda a name to place with this intriguing young man.

"Link…" she whispered thoughtfully to herself, realizing that his name sounded familiar, though she could not place exactly where.

However, it was in that moment that Link just so happened to glance up at Zelda's direction and see that the princess had been staring at him. For what seemed like ages, their eyes met, and both of their minds went completely blank.

Now that she could see him directly, the princess realized that not only was this new recruit exceedingly skilled, but she had to admit that he was very handsome as well. He had strikingly light blue eyes, sharp and very intense to match the rest of his good-looking features. His golden hair, uncovered by any sort of helmet, was naturally windblown mostly to one side and slightly disheveled thanks to the brief skirmish he had just won. As Zelda had previously noted, he had a strong, yet lean, solid frame, and from what she could guess from looking down at him from above, he was most likely taller than her. But nonetheless, the princess was fascinated with him for some reason, and a part of her wanted to rush down into the courtyard immediately and ask him where he had learned to fight so well, even though she knew that Impa most likely wouldn't let her get her hopes too high.

Despite the fact that he had only been within the ranks of the Hylian army for about a month or so, Link, like all loyal Hylians, instantly knew who Princess Zelda was the moment he saw her, and he was completely amazed that she was staring directly at him. The young recruit did not take a large amount of pride in his abilities, but he did have some fighting experience from before joining the army and it had served him well so far, though he never thought that he would have even been skilled enough to catch the eye of Hyrule's princess. And though he knew that it was most likely an offence against her royal highness to stare at her directly, he found that he was unable to remove his gaze from her as she looked upon him. Word of Princess Zelda's beauty spread far and wide across the kingdom, but no rumors could compare to how lovely she was truly was in the flesh. Her light azure eyes were gentle, yet captivating, and the rest of her features were soft against her flawless pale complexion. Her long, sunshine blonde hair flowed down her back and glistened in the morning sun, its ends tied up into a neat braid behind her and her golden tiara resting upon her head, signifying her position. She was clad in clothes that were suited for both battle and for royalty, though the only parts of it that Link could really see because of the wall she was peering at him over from where her golden shoulder plates and sturdy chest armor.

At the moment, both of them expressed the same look of awe and interest; Zelda's came from the fight she had just witnessed and the skill that she had just seen Link display, and Link's came from the fact that Princess Zelda herself was for some reason paying attention to an inexperienced recruit like him.

However, their tight gaze was soon broken apart as the sound of fast approaching footsteps sounded across the walkway that Zelda and Impa were on. Both women turned to see one of the captains rushing towards them breathlessly, falling to the ground before the princess and bowing low, as was customary.

"Your highness!" the captain began between heavy breaths, his voice frazzled and nervous. "A horde of monsters is approaching Hyrule Castle!"

"What?!" Impa exclaimed, exchanging a disbelieving glance with Zelda, whose look of awe had changed to one of immediate horror, before instantly switching to one of resolve.

"It looks as though the time has come sooner than we expected," she said to her guardian gravely, though she refused to let darkness consume her kingdom. She was going to nip this threat in the bud, before any innocent lives were lost and before any part of her kingdom could see disaster. "Impa, prepare the troops for battle immediately!"

"Yes, princess," the Sheikah guardian nodded solemnly, turning to the captain and giving him a signal nod to spread the warning to the rest of the soldiers. The captain scrambled to his feet and raced off, and Impa followed not too far behind him.

Zelda's expression hardened as she thought of the potential danger her kingdom was facing at this very moment, but she knew that it could be stopped. There was always hope for Hyrule, not matter what evil it may face, a fact that the princess knew well. However, before she left to go prepare for the oncoming battle herself, she cast one more small glance towards the training yard, noticing how the rest of the soldiers had caught sight of her standing upon the battlement and observing them, a sight that was rare for recruits to see indeed.

Link continued to look up at the princess, this time noticing the worry hidden in her expression though, like the rest of the trainees, he had no idea what was about to befall Hyrule yet. "Whoa, isn't that the princess?" one of the other recruits nearby asked, finally causing Link to look away from Zelda for the first time in a while. All of the other soldiers seemed equally as amazed as he was that the princess of Hyrule herself had come to observe them, though of course, none of them could even begin to guess why.

"What's she wasting her time here with us for?" another trainee wondered, though by now Link had turned his attention back to Zelda, who looked directly at him once more and gave him what looked like a brief, small, yet confident smile before turning and walking away, a smile that she had hoped would convey a message that the young recruit had not managed to catch. A message that simply said: _"You might be the one."_

* * *

The elite forces of Hyrule's army stood at attention before the Castle's outer gates, but Zelda and Impa standing before them as they gazed out onto the field, immediately catching sight of the approaching threat. The skies surrounding the dark army that was heading straight towards the castle had turned grey and cloudy, most likely due to the aura of evil that was put off from it. The horde itself was composed of innumerable monsters, from bokoblins, stalchildren, lizalfos, poes, and more. The princess strained her eyes to see through the thick cloud of shadows that surrounded their bloodthirsty legion, but she could just barely make out the shapes of two mysterious figures rising above the creatures, most likely the leaders of this sudden attack. Zelda gripped her polished rapier tightly, but all the same, she refused to let this horde do any damage to her kingdom. With a grave expression, she turned to face her own army behind her, hoping to boost their morale and determination before the battle began.

"Go bravely into battle, my loyal knights," she said, speaking with benevolent authority. "Fight with valiance and with honor, and no matter what happens, do not give up until your final breath if that is what it takes to keep Hyrule safe!"

The soldiers cheered in response to her brief, encouraging speech, and, upon Impa's command, they rushed forth into the field, racing towards the enemy troops with their swords and spears raised high. Zelda and Impa lingered behind for a moment, watching before the two armies clashed and the battle began.

"What if they are not enough to combat this threat alone?" the Sheikah guardian asked the princess, referring to the army.

Zelda simply shook her head, her thoughts starting to drift back to the recruit she had watched earlier, Link, and wondering if he would be ready to fight until his last breath like the rest of her elite soldiers. "If that is the case and Hyrule truly does need a hero..." she said with confidence, poising her rapier before heading off into the fray herself. "Then one will certainly appear."

* * *

A feeling of both dread and fear filled the training yard of the new recruits, who had all made sure to barricade themselves safely within its sturdy walls as to avoid the threat that they had just been warned about. For most of the young men who made up the trainee ranks, they had never seen the heat of battle before, and most were too inexperienced and afraid to even want to at this point. Save for only one among them.

Link paced anxiously around the courtyard, his sword and shield already strapped to his back and ready for battle, as he awaited for one of their commanding officers to arrive and give the recruits further orders. Though the young trainee had never actually been in a real battle before, for some reason he felt strangely ready to go into this fray, even with the limited proper training he had received. Of course, he had been taught how to use a sword from the time he was very young thanks to his uncle, who had once been a high-ranking captain in the Hylian army himself and had been the young man's inspiration for enlisting when he was old enough. Link aspired to be just as good of a soldier as his now-deceased uncle had been, but like everyone else, he knew that he had to start at the bottom and work his way up.

However, even despite Link's own willingness to fight, it was quite apparent that the rest of his peers were not as enthusiastic as they stood around the training yard, all of them engaged in confused, nervous conversation with one another. The young recruit was able to hear some of their hushed questions, and the amount of doubt and fear in them made him seriously wonder if he was the only one among them ready to fight.

"Those monsters won't be able to get in here, right?!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine! The elite troops will be able to handle them easily!"

"So… I guess we just stay here and wait to hear what happened, then?"

Upon hearing such inactive questions like these, Link began to realize that there was a large chance that he might just have to go out onto the battlefield alone, without his fellow trainees or even a commanding officer, who were taking their sweet time in coming to give them any sort of orders about what to do next. As far as he could see, none of the other soldiers were even armed whatsoever, making him wonder even more what the recruit captain was waiting for. But nonetheless, Link knew that he could not simply wait around for further orders forever; if he didn't act quickly, the battle would soon be over, and there would be no way of knowing if the Hylian forces had won it or not. He couldn't help but think back to his encounter with the princess earlier, and how she had looked at not only him, but all of the recruits with both confidence and assurance, a look that said she believed that they would serve Hyrule greatly someday. Princess Zelda herself believed in them, she believed in _him_, and the young recruit was not about to let her down.

With resolve and purpose in his step, Link began to head towards the exit of the courtyard, knowing there was no more time to waste. However, before he left, a group of his fellow recruits happened to notice him, and they didn't hesitate to question him on it. "Hey, Link!" one of the trainees called out rather loudly, breaking up the rest of the conversation in the courtyard and drawing everyone's attention towards the young recruit. "What do you think you're doing with that sword and shield?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Link turned to face his fellow recruits, seeing the confusion well on their expressions. "I'm going to fight," he said firmly, drawing his blade in one swift movement.

The trainees all exchanged sided glances as they frowned at him. It was no secret that Link was among the youngest of the newest batch of recruits, most of whom were only about eighteen or nineteen. And so, in reaction to his bold statement, most of the other recruits simply laughed in mocking, knowing that the young man had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" another recruit asked with a teasing grin. "They say some of those monsters can rough a guy up pretty good."

"I don't care!" Link exclaimed insistently, not even acknowledging that his courage might have been overtaking his sense of better judgment. "We have to do something! We can't just sit here and wait for them to break into the castle!"

"_What _did you say, soldier?" the deep, unamused voice of the recruit captain sounded as he finally emerged from the other side of the courtyard. The other trainees all hushed their conversations and stood at attention, though they all watched with interest from the corners of their eyes as the captain slowly approached the young recruit, all of them knowing that he was about to be in some serious trouble.

"I said, we can't just sit here and do nothing," Link replied with the slightest hint of defiance in his tone, even though he knew he was treading on uneven ground. Even despite the fact that he fought levels ahead of most of his peers, he often came across as somewhat disrespectful to his superiors, a testament to his independent nature. "Hyrule is under attack, and its our job to protect it."

"Absolutely not!" the captain commanded firmly, crossing his arms as he frowned at the young man. "Lady Impa has commanded that no one except for the elite forces are permitted to go into this battle! And besides, none of you men are experienced enough to last one minute out there. We're staying put until further notice. That's an order."

"You can't be serious!" Link protested, knowing that simply waiting around was both cowardly and ineffective. "What if they need help out there!?"

"Then it's not our place to intervene," the captain said gruffly, sending the young recruit a warning glare. "The elite forces have been through worse battles than this. I'd watch myself if I were you, soldier. Otherwise, that attitude will get you in more trouble than you'd know how to handle. Now, go put that sword away and wait with everyone else."

Link glanced down for a moment, a part of him inclined to listen to his commanding officer, but another, larger part of him refusing to. He wanted to fight, and not just for the sake of fighting; he wanted to go out into the battle raging just outside the castle walls because it was the right thing to do. A sense of unknown justice was burning within him, and he knew better than to just ignore it because someone told him to. "No," he said quietly, glaring up towards the captain defiantly.

"What was that, _boy_?" the captain asked with obvious anger for the young recruit's continued display of insubordination.

"I said _no_," Link repeated louder, so all of his fellow recruits could hear him. They all looked to one another with wide eyes, knowing that no one disobeyed the direct command of an officer. "I won't just sit around while Hyrule is in danger. I'm going out there to fight, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

The captain's glare deepened as he watched the young recruit grip his sword ever tighter in his hand. "If you take one more step towards that battlefield, then consider yourself out of this army for good!" he threatened loudly, unable to contain his impatience and fury any longer.

Link said nothing for a moment as he took another glance towards the rest of the recruits, who were all staring at him with wide eyes of awe. He knew that the captain was not bluffing. Insubordination was something that was not tolerated within the Hylian army whatsoever, but at that moment, Link didn't care. He knew that, even despite his dreams of following in his uncle's footsteps, he could not just sit idly by while both Hyrule and its princess were in danger. We was determined to fight, even if it was blatantly against orders and even if he lost his life in the process. "Then I guess I'm out," he said with finality, succinctly turning on his heel and walking away with sword in hand, not even bothering to look back on what he had just left behind.

* * *

***passes out because Link is a sexy boss who ain't got time for no one's crap* But seriously folks, you have no idea how fun that last part was to write! I'd like to think (due to the Dark Link cutscene in the palace of souls) that HW Link is the slightest bit overconfident and stubborn, but still heroic and courageous like we love him being, and that unique combination will totally be fun for me to write! And as for Zelda and Impa, I freaking LOVE the interactions between them! They're like besties and I love it! Anyway, as you can guess, the next chapter will be mostly action, though there will be some slight ship teases cause I need to get that Zelink ball rolling do I not? Hahahaha anyway, that's all for now. If you liked, follow/favorite and REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks a ton! Until next time! :D**


	3. Under Siege

_Ok guys! Sorry this took so long to get up! Not only did I have my other stories to work on, but I've also been busy with midterms (which are now thankfully over!) But fear not! A new chapter has finally arrived! Huzzah! Now originally, I was going to have this chapter cover all of the first stage of the game, but i figured that I would just split it in half and give you guys something a lot quicker. And so, here it is. But before we begin, I would just like to thank all 64(!) of you who have followed and all 41(!) who have favorited! I'm not going to say everyone's names here cause that would take forever, but I just wanted to say THANKS SO MUCH! I still can't believe how popular this story has become already and we're only three chapters in! I am completely and utterly amazed, and I cannot say how much this warms my heart guys... especially the fact that this story has 41 REVIEWS! And so, let's get to them!_

_**MeIIonCoIIie**: Aw, thanks!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: You're welcome! :D_

_**RyuAgeha**: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're liking it!_

_**Legendoffun**: Yay! Thank you so much! You flatter me! :D _

_**Zelda the Wise:** Yeah, she is pretty adorable! And of course I had to give Link a rebellious side... I think its very sexy myself... ;D As far as my favorite character goes, I personally love playing as Sheik with her harp, Link with the fire rod or Master Sword, or Impa with her giant blade (I have a thing for ninja type fighting styles)_

_**KPgirl1227**: Don't worry! Zelda will take up her epic disguise soon! (I couldn't leave Sheik out of my story! She's one of my favorites!) And of course, I don't always plan on having the chapters focused on Link and Zelda (even if they are the main characters). There will be chapters focused on Impa, Lana, even Cia, as well as several others. After all, HW has such a great cast of characters and I plan on focusing on them all at some point!_

_**TheJediAvenger**: You already KNOW I want you to do more literalizing! :D_

**WHAM-Hope:** _I would say Impa (as far as this story goes) is about in her earlier 30's, since she doesn't really look that old (I guess white hair is a Sheikah heredity thing!) And no, my main ship here is Link/Zelda, but what I mean is that there will be one sided ones for the others, like in a way that Lana and Cia both love him, but they know he'll end up with Zelda so yeah. Though there will come some points in the story where the ship between either Link/Lana or Link/Cia will become more blatant, though no spoilers for now!_

_**Marasia**: Oh yes he is... :) Glad you like it!_

_**CupcakePride101**: Glad you liked little Zelda, as well as Link being defiant! And yeah, that was one of the most interesting things about Link in HW to me. I dunno, something about him being overconfident is really attractive to me, but not to the point that he's annoyingly stubborn or bullheaded. And yeah, I agree as far as shipping Zelda and Impa. The crazy ships that some people come up with... :P_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked how I developed Link, Zelda and Impa! And I think you'll like the battle with Volga in this chapter! :D_

_**Multusvalde**: I'm glad you like it! And Proxi is basically a fairy who serves as Link's "Navi" for this game, and she speaks for him in battle dialogues in the game, though of course, in this story he can speak for himself, she she'll just tag along as his companion._

_**Lovely girl 10:** Glad you liked how I'm making Link here! He's only going to get better as we go along! :D_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, Proxi enters the story in this chapter actually! I'm very glad you're enjoying the story so far! _

_**Marina**: Glad you like it! And while this chapter has them meeting towards the end, its kinda short, but don't worry! The chapter after this one is pretty much them interacting for the first half, so yay!_

_**Sykdragon74193**: It certainly does! :D_

_**ultimateCC**: Yeah, even crazy nuts like Cia! And indeed, Link is the hero! :D_

_**ShadowNinja1011**: Thank you!_

_**Valkyrie Elysia:** You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

_**GO ZeldaXLink:** Glad you like him being a bit of a rebel, as well as everything else!_

_**Nintendoman01**: Thanks a ton!_

_**mega-dark:** Very pleased to know you like it and everything I added in! And yes, I do add on putting the extra weapons in, and I already have a few of their introductions planned already!_

_**DarthPheonixFire**: Hahaha, I bet they'll all be pretty surprised to see a new recruit suddenly be promoted to second of command (only behind Impa and Zelda) of the Hylian army! :D And I may be able to squeeze some MM and WW elements in here, since I was quite frankly disappointed that they were underrepresented (especially WW, I really wanted to play as Tetra!) _

_**GerudoSpirit**: Thanks! Glad you like it! :D_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: I put a lot of work into it, so I'm glad it shows! :D_

_Woo :P That was a TON of reviews! Like seriously, there were more than 20! I have honestly NEVER gotten so many reviews for one chapter before, and so all I can really say is keep em coming! Now, we can FINALLY get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 2: Under Siege_

With deft, swift movements, Impa tore her giant blade through another crowd of bokoblins, slaughtering them all instantly. Her skill with the oversized weapon that she had bought from the Goron tribe baffled every one of the soldiers who served under her; she wielded into battle as if it were as light as a dagger, despite the fact that the thing weighed what felt like a ton to everyone but the Sheikah guardian. But what made Impa an even more deadly combatant was not just her prowess with a blade; it was also her mastery over the ancient art of Sheikah magic, a skill that very few knew how to defend against or fight off.

As Impa clicked her hefty knife back into its sheath as was her habit after each strike, she glared at the enemy forces that were still alive, having slipped past the faltering elite troops and heading her way. The skirmish had been raging on for at least a few hours now, though it was hard to tell time precisely in the heat of battle, and it was clear that the invading monsters were starting to gain the upper hand over the Hylian troops, much to Impa's aggravation. It was for this reason that Zelda had taken the soldiers fighting under her charge and headed towards the southwestern portion of Hyrule Field in order to defend the outposts and keeps there, while Impa stayed behind to defend the castle keep with her troops. Of course, when the princess had suggested this plan, the Sheikah guardian had her reservations about allowing her young ward to go off on her own, but at the same time, Impa also knew that Zelda was quite the competent fighter in her own regard as well. And so, the two women split up, hoping that they could cover more ground apart and rid the land of this threat before it got out of hand.

Upon having just torn her way through another horde of monsters, Impa let out an aggravated sigh to see that more were headed her way in their mindless pursuit to infiltrate the castle. She had no idea what their motive was for attacking, or even who was leading them, but one thing was certain: they were seemingly innumerable.

"Where did all these monsters come from?" the Sheikah guardian whispered to herself under her breath as she cast some Sheikah water magic upon her blade before taking a broad swipe at more of the creatures. However, upon clearing them out of the way, her attention was caught by one of the elite captains several yards away, standing near an entrance to a keep that happened to be blocked by large boulders.

"Lady Impa!" the captain shouted. "Princess Zelda headed this way, but the path is impassible!"

"Curses!" Impa scowled as she looked over and watched the meager attempt of some of the soldiers to push the heavy rocks out of the way. "We can't get to Princess Zelda with those boulders in the way! We'll have to find some way to get rid of them…"

However, the Sheikah guardian's focus was once again diverted as she picked up on the dying shrieks of several monsters coming from several feet behind her. She knew well that her troops were supposed to be guarding the bridge that led to the castle keep, as its protection was integral to making sure the castle did not fall into the hands of the enemy, but as she glanced behind her, she saw none of them fighting. She only saw one young man whom she had never seen before, clad in the uniform of a mere trainee and tearing through the intruding beasts such speed and skill that Impa had to do a double take to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Commander?" the Sheikah leader asked the officer closest to her, still watching the young man as he plowed through every beast in his way. "Who is that soldier over there?" she asked, nodding her head in his direction.

The commander shook his head with a frown. "I don't know, milady," he said, pausing to watch the young knight as well. "I've never seen him before. But from the looks of it… I think he might be a new recruit…"

"I thought I told the trainee captain to keep all of the recruits out of this battle!" Impa growled, though the last thing she had time for was to reprimand a simple recruit for not following her orders. "Just who is this soldier anyway…?" she muttered to herself as the commander went back into the outlying fray. However, the Sheikah guardian only had a moment more to watch the clearly talented young trainee before she found herself surrounded by monsters once more. Impa merely rolled her eyes at the pests before drawing her massive blade and cleaving through them once more.

* * *

With a swift swipe, Link cleanly cut his blade across several of the bokoblins in front of him, ending their lives instantly. While some fresh soldiers might have had some reservations about taking down even as crude of creatures such as these, it didn't bother the young recruit whatsoever as he continued to tear through their forces, adrenaline and excitement flowed through his veins, filling him with electrifying energy. Though Link had never been in an actual battle before, he already knew that if this was like, he could certainly stand to fight in one again once this ordeal was over. Swordplay had always come easy to him ever since he was lad, and there was nothing more gratifying than being able to put his skills to use for the first time ever in an actual fray, as opposed to the limiting skirmishes he had been forced to fight during training.

The last thing Link regretted was willingly walking out of the army, knowing that their ways were cowardly and selfish. All his former peers were concerned with was their own safety, hardly even giving a second thought to the danger that Hyrule was in as a whole. But Link was different; his first instinct was to help others, no matter what the cost to himself. Others had called him out about this before in the past, calling it a fault and a weakness, but his uncle, who had basically raised him from the time his parents had died when he was very young, never thought so. He had always told Link that being willing to act in the face of danger was anything but a weakness; it was courage.

The young recruit remembered these words as he tore through another group of nearby monsters, moving deftly and quickly so he could advance onto the next pod of foes. However, as he fought, he happened to glance over and spot a set of discerning red eyes staring at him from across the battlefield. Link almost stopped in his tracks when he realized that Impa, the general of the Hylian army herself, watching him as he fought, shocked that he was garnishing her attention and wondering if she was going to scold him for disobeying orders and not staying with the rest of the recruits. And yet, she didn't; she simply stared piercingly at him for another moment or two before she was swept up into the fight once more, and before a sudden, nearby plea for aid reached the recruit's ears.

"Someone! Please, help!" the tiny, high-pitched voice called out, though from where, Link was unable to immediately determine. "I'm too little to fight monsters!"

For a moment, the recruit thought that he was hearing the cries of a small child based on that comment, until he finally spotted its source only a few feet away from his position: a tiny blue fairy, less than the size of a human fist, flittering in a panic as she was bombarded by a band of attacking monsters. For a brief second, Link glanced around at the other nearby soldiers, wondering why they weren't trying to aid the helpless fairy or even pay her any mind at all while they were all engrossed in their own battles. But nonetheless, the recruit wasn't about to let her cries go unanswered. As the fairy called for help once more, Link quickly cut into the circle of creatures that were attacking her, cutting them all down in one fell swoop and saving the tiny creature from her plight.

The fairy simply stared agape in awe at the recruit for a moment as he glanced up in her direction. "Are you ok?" he asked her with concern, something that absolutely shocked the fairy.

"You… you can understand me?!" she asked in astonishment.

"Well, yeah," Link said in confusion, wondering what she meant by that. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Well… it's just that fairies and humans speak different languages…" the fairy said with a bewildered frown. "All except for the Great Fairies, who can speak both… How can you do that anyway?"

Link simply shrugged, equally as unknowing as she was. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, giving the fairy a small, cordial grin.

"Huh… Well, anyway, thanks a lot for saving me! I was in quite a pinch there!" the fairy said thankfully as she flew down closer to him. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Proxi! What's yours?"

"I'm Link," the recruit answered, but before he could say anything else, the spirited, energetic fairy was already talking a mile a minute.

"Link, huh?" she asked, her wings beating quickly as she circled around him quickly. "Unusual name! What's it mean? Where are you from? Oh, nice sword you got there! Looks like you're pretty good at using it too! What do you-"

"Ok, ok, calm down," Link interrupted her with a good-natured laugh. "You really like to talk, don't you?"

"Yeah… a little…" Proxi said with a bashful giggle. "Say, you're one of those knights, aren't you?"

"Not really," the recruit said with a somewhat aloof shrug. "I kind of quit or got kicked out of the army. It depends on how you look at it."

"Oh, a rebel, huh?" the fairy said with a teasing laugh. "I like that! So… do you mind having some company as you fight? I could tag along with you if you'd like. We could even be partners! What do you say?"

Link couldn't help but smile kindly at the sweet, though somewhat hyperactive fairy, knowing that he wouldn't mind having her company at all. "Sure, Proxi," he said, much to the tiny fairy's delight.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, clasping her little hands together with excitement. "Now, come on! Let's go beat some monsters!"

Link simply nodded in agreement with this as he held onto his sword tightly and raced off towards the nearest cluster of monsters, plowing through them with ease just like before as Proxi called encouragements to him all the while.

"Everyone!" Impa called out a few moments later to all of the nearby soldiers, catching Link's attention as well. "Advance towards the Abandoned Fort immediately! We'll have to go the long way to rendezvous with Princess Zelda!"

Since Link was relatively close to the fort that Impa had pointed out, he didn't waste any time following her orders. He rushed for the keep with Proxi in tow, clearing the path of monsters so that the other soldiers could follow, but since they were all caught up in their own battles, few of them did. However, the moment the young recruit stepped foot into the empty fort, he was met with the last thing he could have ever expected.

A dragon, large and fearsome, swooped into the keep from out of nowhere, it's large, sharp wings allowing it to dive down towards the open keep at a frightening speed. Both Link and Proxi watched with both awe and trepidation as the dragon flew right over their heads, before it suddenly vanished from sight altogether. However, as they turned towards the center of the courtyard once more, they were just as confused to see a man land squarely upon the ground, as if he had jumped off the dragon's back, or, an even more outlandish though, had transformed from dragon to human.

But all the same, Link held onto his sword tightly as the man rose to stand, revealing that he certainly had a dragon-like appearance to him. He appeared to be some sort of knight, muscular and strongly built, and clad in thick red armor that was certainly stylized to a dragon motif. His eyes were obscured by the metal helmet he wore, which was, of course, in the shape of the dragon, with a long tuft of crimson hair gliding out behind it in a ponytail. But what seemed to absolutely confirm that this man and the dragon were one and a same was the fact that as he stood, a burst of fire seemed to come out on his breath, as well as the flames that surrounded the pointed staff that he wielded. For a moment, the knight simply stood in place, looking around the keep that he believed to have conquered with a haughty expression of satisfaction, before noticing the young recruit who stood within its entryway, taking up a pose of opposition against him.

"_What _are you?" the dragon knight asked with clear disgust on his deep tone as he glowered with displeasure.

"I could ask you the same thing," Link said with a hint of defiance, ready to take on this new foe, even despite his lack of relative experience.

"You foolish little brat!" the knight hissed with simmering fury. "I am Volga, the dreaded dragon knight! Feared and immensely more powerful than any of your kind. And if you knew what was good for you, _child_, you would flee from my sight before I incinerate you to a crisp!"

Link simply shook his head as he stood his ground and remained resolute. He was tired of people, from his commanding officers to his peers to the intimidating knight before him now, underestimating him because of his youth, and because of that he had every intention of proving them all wrong.

"Very well then," Volga said darkly, his scowl still apparent as he raised his staff in preparation for battle. "If you are ready to join your ancestors in the grave, then I will accept your challenge!"

Without any other words, the dragon knight rushed for the recruit, who was quick to dodge out of the way of the path of his staff. Link retaliated with a quick, decisive swipe towards Volga's exposed side, one that did little to hurt him because of his armor. With an aggravated growl, the dragon knight sucked in his breath before letting out a large plume of hot flames. Like any soldier would, the recruit used his metal shield to block the fire, though the force of it pushed him back several feet. Seeing that he had a moment of advantage, Volga rushed towards his opponent, but Link wasn't about to be caught with his guard down for a second. Skillfully defending and deflecting the knight's aggressive strikes, the recruit managed to avoid any serious injuries, though as they dueled and Volga began to grow even more angry and aggressive, Link steadily began to grow more and more fatigued. All of the energy he had while fighting the vast numbers of monsters earlier was starting to drain as he battled the dragon knight, who was by far a more experienced, much physically stronger warrior than he was. And yet, the young recruit was not about to give up or retreat now, and it was this enduring resolve that gave him enough strength to somehow break through Volga's defenses and land a powerful thrust across the dragon knight's chest, hitting him hard and squarely and pushing him back several feet.

Link took this as a chance to catch his breath, which was quickly starting to run out, but he held his sword and shield at the ready nonetheless, just in case Volga decided to land a sneak attack. However, the dragon knight was only off his feet for a moment, and when he rose to stand, the steam of another flame attack was already rising from his mouth and his vicious glare was directly set upon the young recruit.

"Enough of these games…" Volga growled menacingly, flames surrounding his clenched fist. "Get out of my way, boy!"

The dragon knight didn't even wait for Link to respond, especially since he could tell that the recruit was nearing exhaustion, and therefore, vulnerability. The flames converged around Volga's outstretched hand until they enshrouded it completely, transforming it into a large draconian appendage, complete with sharp, deadly claws. With an enraged shout, he rushed towards the young recruit with every intention of ending this battle once and for all.

"Link! Watch out!" Proxi shouted fearfully, floating near the recruit as she watched the dragon knight's fast approach. However, even though Link was keeping a close watch on his opponent, nothing could have prepared him for the sheer amount of incredible force that Volga struck his shield with. The blunt force of it all was so strong that it knocked the shield right out of the recruit's hand, leaving him completely open to the dragon knight's next attack; with a quick, heavy swipe of his dragon-like hand, Volga cut Link squarely across the chest, tearing through his uniform chainmail and eliciting a cry of pain from the youth, who was sent flying back several feet and landed on the ground semi-conscious from the strike.

However, before Volga could even revel in his victory for a single moment, someone else intervened, someone who had been watching the battle all along. Impa rushed into the keep and quickly stood between the dragon knight and the fallen recruit, her hand already on her sheathed blade as she stood ready to fight Volga herself.

"Enough of this!" the Sheikah guardian shouted firmly. "You and your foul beasts will leave this place immediately, or else!"

Volga simply scowled at her, not taking her threat seriously. "How noble," he scoffed with an air of superiority. "You wish to protect that foolish boy and this kingdom from my mistress's desires? Very well, then. Have it your way. Enjoy your shared grave."

The dragon knight let out a powerful shout as flames surrounded him once more, showing that he was preparing for a deadly attack, one that Impa, even with her Sheikah magic on her side, knew that she would not be able to defend against or evade. With wide eyes, the Sheikah guardian quickly turned around and knelt down near the injured recruit, refusing to leave any of her soldiers behind, no matter what rank they were. However, it was in that moment that everything happened so fast that Impa had no time to register any of it. With another shout, Volga let his charged-up breath go, unleashing a devastating fiery inferno upon Impa and Link, one that they were both powerless to survive against.

Or so Volga thought.

The dragon knight was somewhat disappointed that neither one of his foes screamed or cried out in pain as the fire struck them. He could not even see them being incinerated, destroyed by his incredible power; all he could see were the burning flames covering the lower half of the keep, creating thick, black plumes of smoke that rose up into the cloudy skies above. But all the same, Volga grinned with devious satisfaction, knowing that he had put both that meddlesome recruit and the Sheikah leader in their place once and for all. Without even giving them a second thought, he turned to head off and claim the castle itself, but it was at that moment that something happened that he could have never expected.

A golden glow began to emit from courtyard behind the dragon knight, one that grew ever brighter with each passing second. In confusion, Volga spun around, his jaw dropping in shock at what he saw.

All at once, the flames the dragon knight had conjured vanished into thin air, revealing the source of the sacred light that had driven them away and protected both the recruit and the Sheikah guardian.

Impa blinked in disbelief as she looked up at Link, who stood before her, his sword and shield held aloft, strong and completely unphased from the attack that had brought him down, save for the fact that only his uniform was form from Volga's claws, though no wound remained. Neither of them appeared to be harmed by the flames that had surrounded them whatsoever, but what shocked the Sheikah leader the most was the source of the light that had protected them, the mark of the three golden triangles brilliantly shining on the back of the young recruit's left hand.

Link hardly seemed to pay any mind to the mark as he kept up his focused stance, still ready to fight off the dragon knight if needed. But all Impa could do was stare at him with wide eyes, a million thoughts running through her mind at once. "Impossible…" she whispered in stunned awe. "Could you be…?"

"Loathsome child!" Volga shouted in absolute rage, though he knew that he could not stand up to the recruit with the sort of power that he apparently wielded at the moment. "You haven't beaten me. You have merely hidden behind your shields, human and otherwise. But be warned, boy: we will meet in battle again!"

With one more bitter glare of defeat, the dragon knight surrounded himself with flames once more, taking on the shape of the dragon and confirming that they truly were one and the same. And, with a heavy flap of his large wings, Volga flew off, retreating from the battlefield and leaving Link and Impa alone.

Since they were out of harm's way, the Sheikah guardian didn't hesitate in rising to her feet and bombarding the young recruit with questions as he put his sword in its sheath. "How in Nayru's name did you do that?!" she demanded, glancing down at his hand, where the mark of the triangles now only dimly glowed. "Where did you get that from?"

"I don't know," Link said with honestly, looking down at the mark on his hand in obvious confusion. "I've never even seen it before until now."

Impa raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, crossing her arms and frowning doubtfully as she sized him up. The young recruit knew who the Sheikah guardian was, of course; all of the trainees knew to respect her as the head of the Hylian army, but, just like the princess earlier, Link never thought that he would actually ever encounter the esteemed general herself.

"Who are you anyway, recruit?" she asked, still staring piercingly at him. "And who told you that you could come out here and fight with the elite troops?"

"My name is Link," he answered, giving her the traditional nod of respect that was due to the highest ranking officers in the army. "And… well, no one really told me I could come and fight. I just decided to come on my own."

"You mean you blatantly disobeyed the orders of your commanding officer? You disobeyed _my _personal orders?" Impa asked, sending him a critical glare.

"I'm sorry," Link said with slight frustration, not wanting to put up with this again. "But I had to. I couldn't just do nothing while Hyrule was in danger."

Though she was trying to maintain a front of seriousness, the Sheikah guardian couldn't help but smirk upon hearing this. "A noble intention, I suppose…" she mused thoughtfully, turning her attention towards the gate that led to the northern field. "I can't get too upset about something like that. And as far as I'm concerned, you've already proved your worth on the battlefield against that dragon knight. But as I'm sure you've noticed, the monsters still aren't gone, which means there must be someone else behind this attack as well. For now, I suggest that we clear the path to Princess Zelda and meet up with her troops, and then formulate a plan from there. What do you say?"

"Wait… you mean, I get to fight alongside _you_?" the recruit asked with wide eyes, amazed that he was actually being permitted to battle with the honorable general of the army, despite the fact that he had just been expelled from it.

"Yes," Impa said, already turning towards the battlefield once more. "What of it?"

"Well, it's just that-" Before Link could say anything else however, he was abruptly cut off by Proxi, who flew in close to his face with what she considered to be an important announcement.

"Hey, Link!" she exclaimed brightly. "I just got an idea about how we can clear those boulders blocking the path to the princess!"

"Really?" the recruit asked, glad that the fairy's assistance was already proving useful. "That's great, Proxi! What is it?"

In curiosity, Impa turned around when she head Link say something, believing him to be talking to himself until she saw the fairy flittering near him. "You can speak to fairies?" she asked in disbelief, wondering just where this recruit, who apparently had so many unique talents and abilities, came from.

"Yeah," Link said with a nod, almost asking the Sheikah guardian why she bothered asking before he remembered what Proxi had told him earlier. "I guess so."

"You are just getting more and more interesting with each passing minute, recruit…" Impa said with a small grin as she shook her head and turned to head off into the fray of battle, with Link following not too far behind as he listened to Proxi's idea, which was to head to the nearby mine and gather some bombs to destroy the boulders. Upon relaying this plan to Impa, she agreed with both the recruit and the fairy and commanded her troops to take a path towards the mine. The trip there was short and simple, even if the way was littered with monsters, though Link and Impa easily took them down together. And, sure enough, Proxi's advice worked, as the bombs managed to completely obliterate the obstacle that the boulders posed, opening the pathway to Princess Zelda at last.

With a graceful slice, Zelda tore her thin rapier through another set of monsters, wasting no time moving onto the next group. Despite her elegant appearance and regal manner, the princess of Hyrule was incredibly talented on the battlefield, having been trained in swordplay by Impa from the time was she was young. She fought passionately no matter what the occasion, especially when her kingdom's safety was on the line, like it was now.

"Princess!" Zelda's focused expression brightened upon hearing Impa calling out to her from behind. As she finished off another bokoblin, she turned around to watch her guardian approaching, glad to see that both her and her troops were alright.

"Impa!" the princess exclaimed with a smile. "I'm glad that you were able to find a way through! I was starting to think that I would have to break through those boulders myself."

"My apologies, princess," Impa said, giving the royal a respectful nod of the head. "But thank the goddesses that you are safe! I feared that I'd have never reached you if not for this brave trainee." She gave a slight glance a few feet behind her at Link, who was still busy taking down a ground of monsters all on his own.

"A trainee, huh?" Zelda asked, though she was admittedly distracted as she took down the last few enemies in her way. "Well, from the smallest seed comes the biggest tree I suppose." However, it was at that moment that both the princess and the recruit finished off the foes that they were respectively battling, and happing to turn and face one another at the same time, their eyes meeting even though there were several feet away. "You!" Zelda exclaimed, admittedly surprised but pleased to see the skilled recruit from earlier. "I saw you in the training yard earlier!"

Since the area around them was relatively free of monsters, Link bowed before the princess like any loyal soldier would, still amazed that she was even talking to him at all. However, as much as he knew that he shouldn't have, he couldn't help but glance up at her as she stood before him and realize that she was even lovelier up close, especially as she smiled warmly at him, making his cheeks burn a flustered red.

"You don't have to bow, you know…" she whispered so only he could hear her, knowing that Impa was a stickler for everyone and everyone showing the princess the proper respects. Zelda held out a hand to help him up, one that Link hesitantly accepted, not even realizing that he was staring at her in awe. "What is your name, soldier?" she asked, knowing that she had heard it earlier, but she couldn't exactly remember it thanks to the sudden outbreak of the battle.

"Link," the recruit answered somewhat shyly, his former confidence somehow gone in the presence of Hyrule's refined, elegant ruler, though he wasn't sure why.

"It's very nice to meet you, Link," Zelda said with a smile. "I am grateful for your aid in this battle. I wish there was more time to talk, but for now, I think we need to clear the field of these beasts first and foremost."

"Princess, we encountered one of their commanders and managed to drive him off," Impa reported dutifully. "But I theorize that he wasn't alone. If we can quell these monsters at their source, then maybe Hyrule will be save from further invasion."

"I agree," the princess said with a nod. "But I've seen no signs of any other commander anywhere. He must be hiding somewhere amidst their ranks. If only there was a way to lure him out into the open…"

"What if we forced all of the monsters into one part of the field?" Link spoke up as a sudden idea came to him. "Then we could take them all out at once. Without an army, the enemy commander would have to come out and fight."

"That's a brilliant idea, Link!" Zelda exclaimed, smiling brightly at him with encouragement as he bashfully grinned back. "And I just so happen to know of a way for us to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. We shall call upon the Great Fairy to the south for assistance." With confidence in this plan, the princess turned towards her guardian, ready to put it to action. "Impa, I need you and your troops to round up all of the enemies towards the northern fields, and whatever you do, do not let them take the castle. If it falls, then so do we."

"As you command, princess," Impa nodded, a hand already on the hilt of her blade in preparation to fight against the hordes as she ran off, leading her troops off towards the north and leaving Link and Zelda behind.

"Everyone, listen!" the princess shouted to her own nearby troops. "We need to advance towards the southern fairy fountain at once! We have a strategy that, if successful, can greatly damage our foes! Now move out!"

The soldiers all didn't hesitate to follow the commands of their ruler, but Zelda was quick to stop Link before he could head off into battle with them. "Hold on a minute, Link," she stopped him in his tracks, instantly catching his attention as he turned around to face her, knowing that whatever the princess had to say to him would be of the upmost importance. Even though he had no discrepancies against disobeying the orders of a commanding officer if they infringed on his ideals, he didn't feel the same sort of defiance towards Zelda, who seemed to be openly inviting to fight alongside her in this battle. Even though Link had literally just met her, he already respected her and was ready to follow her to the ends of the world if he had to. She just had a certain way about her that commanded both power and authority, and yet she did not abuse either of those things; even from their brief conversation so far, she had already shown herself to be refined, kind, and deadly in battle all at once, traits that the young recruit couldn't help but admire. "I have a very special mission for you," Zelda said with a small, somewhat coy grin.

"What is it, your highness?" Link asked, knowing that he should refer to her using the proper title.

The princess's smile widened as she detected the readiness for whatever task she gave him in his tone. Their eyes met for another brief moment, and in that moment, she was able to see the firm determination in his sky blue eyes, something that instantly told her that he was already more than prepared to fight for Hyrule. But there was something else about him too, something that filled her with a feeling of hope, even despite the danger the kingdom was currently in. It was something she had noticed from the moment she first saw him fighting in the training yard that morning, and it was something that made her believe that her search for a savior for her kingdom had already come to an end. And yet, Zelda knew that she couldn't be too hasty; she wanted to test him first, to make sure that his resolve, strength, and courage were genuine. And the best way for her to do that was to watch him in action first hand. And so, gripping her rapier, she began to lead the way towards the fairy fountain, but not before looking back to the recruit one last time with a determined smile. "You're coming with me."

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**Yay! Next chapter will have some early Zelink! Plus more action from both the princess and the hero, tag teaming to take down the foes! Yes! Anyway, I hope you all really liked that! I put a TON of time into it (by watching and playing HW cause yes) I have really high hopes for this story thanks to you guys, and so I promise that I won't let you down! For now though, I must be off so I can check and see if I can download the villain DLC pack! I just can't wait to play as Cia! :D Anyway, don't forget to leave a REVIEW! Until next time!**


	4. The Hero of Hyrule

_Ok guys! So I know this took quite some time, but please forgive me! I'm working on this story in conjunction with two other stories, plus college and ugh! Life! But anyway, this chapter's going to finish off the first stage of the game, so hooray! Plus, I'm pretty proud of it, since its full of all sorts of early zelink ship tease goodness and junk like that! Yay! But anyway, I just wanted to give a general THANK YOU to everyone who's followed/favorited! (Dont have time to list them all!) Now onto the reviews! (BTW I also just wanted to generally say that YES I do know that Volga uses a SPEAR and not a staff! My mistake! I won't do it again next time!)_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: Yeah, I kinda thought that Zelda basically telling Link: "HEY! COME ON!" was pretty funny too! :D_

_**NoSignalBlueScreen**: Glad to see you're liking it! As for the other characters knowing Link (and by extension Zelda), well... I know that at least Midna is going to confuse him for HER Link (causing both some humor and some emotional stuff for you readers!), but IDK if characters like Darunia and Ruto will yet. We'll have to see what I wanna do when I get to that point!_

_**Link The Hero of Light**: Glad you're enjoying it! :)_

_**Ezakiel**: Hey, I figured why not get a novelization out there first! :D But anyway, I'm glad that you're liking the style and characterization, since those things are very important to me as a writer. I do intend on fleshing out the villains like Volga and Cia and taking a glimpse at their side quite a bit! And as for the battles, I will try to use as much detail as I can, but I won't make them too unbearably long, since emotion and dialogue are more of my fortes (which will make this story something of a challenge for me to write but whatever) And as for the shipping, I plan on making it quite natural indeed, even despite the apparent time apart that Link and Zelda share in the game (though Zelda does spend a lot of time as Sheik, so it doesnt really count I guess). And yeah, I try to keep my updating schedule fairly regular, but there are always hitches in my plans that keep me from posting timely 100% of the time so... And yes, I do know that the bombs thing was a bit rushed, but that's just because I wanted to get to some of the more interesting aspects instead so... yeah. But thanks again for your super awesome, super long review! Those kinds are my favorites!_

_**Pikatwig**: I'm glad you like it! I do intend on working in the DLC, especially some stuff taken from villain mode! After all, Cia is my favorite Zelda villain, so I gotta take a lot at things from her side, right? :D_

_**skyhopper**: Thanks and your very welcome! Glad you like the characterizations of Link and Zelda, and yeah, you can't help but feel for Cia and Lana a little... :(_

_**Book of untold stories:** Thanks!_

_**Marasia**: Glad you're enjoying it so far!_

_**Zelda the Wise:** Impa is such a BOSS! I totally love playing as her and I love writing for her too! And YAS LINK IS SO HOT! ERMAGUD! Hahahaha, sorry, I freaked out a little there... ;D HW Link is by far my fav design though! He is just so sexy on so many levels... sigh..._

_**Guest**: Lol, even though they're the same person? ;D Hahaha, but thanks!_

_**ShadowNinja1011**: Glad you like it!_

_**CupcakePride101**: Well, the thing about Zelda fairies is (at least how I see them) I theorize that they are actually like little tiny humanoids with wings, only their human forms are concealed by the aura of light surrounding them unless you're up close to one. And yeah, I meant to say that the tuft of red hair was a part of Volga's helmet, but eh, whatevs. And yes, the OTP totally met in the battlefield! They are the definition of a battle couple through and through! :D_

_**Volga**: Yes, yes. I know! Sorry!_

_**Skydragon74193**: Yeah, it seemed to me that Link sorta seemed to kinda see through Sheik's design, but who's to say for sure?;)  
_

_**mega-dark**: Glad that you like it! I'm also really excited to write all of the characters, especially Cia! And I'm assuming that you're referring to what Lana did in that one mission in villain mode that took place in Hyrule Field, and so I will say yes, I will make a refrence to it in this chapter :)_

_**Lovely girl 10**: Glad that you like it!_

_**Flameshield**: Aw, thanks a ton! And as for looking to Darunia's POV then, I think I could do that... ;) And I absolutely LOVE villain mode (mostly cause its a chance to play as Cia, who is my favorite!) _

_**Legendoffun**: Thanks! Glad that you're liking my story (even if it will take me a while to get to Faron Woods, but we will definitely get there in time!) And yeah, I won't rush (as much as I can!)_

_**Elemental-Aura**: Yeah, everyone in HW is badass in their own right, so I intend to write them like that! Now, in answer to your questions (which I am certainly glad you asked!): Yes, I do intend on including the side characters in the story more, since they are important to the game and I think I'll have a fun time writing them. I haven't decided if Ruto and Darunia are going to recognize Impa yet though, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. And yes, Agitha will be there for that cutscene, mostly to sprinkle in a little humor there! (though I like the idea of her calling Cia a wicked witch, mind if I use that?) And yes, Fi, Agitha and Ruto will help out at the temple, but as for the Dark Link scene... that's actually going to go a lot differently here than it did in the game (though I can't say much more!) _

_**knownobody**: Thank you! And IDK if Lana and Zelda are going to outright FIGHT over Link! Now Zelda and Cia might! hahahaha :D_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked the enconter with Volga! And thank you SO much for your super sweet review! :,D_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Your welcome!_

_**ultimateCCC**: Hahaha, I know, right?_

_**DarthPhoenixFire**: Seriously, Impa yields that huge blade around like its nothing... O.o And yeah, Link was a little focused on Zelda's looks there for a sec, but in this chapter, they both find that there's more to like than just that... ;)_

_Whoo! While it does take a while for me to answer you guy's reviews, I certainly never tire of it, since it means that you guys are loving this story, and I can't thank you enough for that! Now, with all that outta the way, let's finally get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 3: The Hero of Hyrule_

Even despite their equal youth, both the princess and the recruit both held a steady focus in the heat of battle, something that anyone could clearly see as they held their own against the hordes on the way to the fairy fountain, not even phased by each other in the slightest. Even though Link had initially been awed by the fact that he was fighting alongside Princess Zelda herself, he quickly got over the shock as they rushed headfirst into battle once more, their plan to wipe out the enemy forces the only thing on both of their minds. Every now and then, the princess would steal a glance over at the recruit, only to find that he was fighting as skillfully as any of the other knights, even despite his lack of experience. A part of her wanted to question him as to where he acquired his skills, for certainly he couldn't have learned to fight that well within the training academy, but she knew she had to keep her head in the moment, something she had been trained to do since she was young.

While the path to the southern fairy fountain normally would have been a relatively quick trip, the monsters blocking the way made it exponentially longer. Link and Zelda both found that they were unable to simply evade the enemies in order to get to the fountain; they actually had to cut a path through them, lest they be tailed all the way there, or worse yet: the creatures catch onto their plan and reach the fountain first. And so, as they tore through the forces, they made haste, hoping that Impa and her forces would be able to hold off the creatures from capturing the castle while luring them to their vantage point.

However, as the fairy fountain finally came into view, a sudden shrill clamor coming from behind stopped both Link and Zelda in their tracks. They both spun around instantaneously, both of their clutching onto their blades tightly, as a mysterious shape made its way through the cluster of Hylian forces following after them, taking down many of the soldiers in its wake. "Attack! Destroy! Kill! Massacre!" a cackling voice commanded the enemy troops still surrounding the princess and the recruit. "Kill the royal whelp before I get impatient!"

Link and Zelda exchanged a wary glance before the being behind this violent order came into view: a strange, ghost-like creature with twisted, bony hands emerging from its dark violet, ornate robe. In place of where its face should have been was only a singular, large, piercing red eye, though that eye soon somehow transformed into a dark, menacing grin upon seeing the two youths before it. "Well, well…" the wizard-like being said, and by now both the princess and the recruit guessed that it was male, though they weren't entirely sure. "Princess Zelda… At last we meet… My mistress will be quite pleased when she hears that I've taken you down."

"Mistress?" Zelda muttered under her breath in confusion, wondering if there was someone who was even higher above this wizard, as well as the dragon knight that Link and Impa had encountered earlier.

"Oh, and look who else it is…" the wizard said, its dark grin still apparent as it turned towards the recruit, who stood ready to defend the princess against him at all costs. "That little knight who managed to chase Volga away. I don't know how you managed to accomplish that, but you should know that you won't have as much luck with me!"

"We can take you!" Link exclaimed with confidence, Zelda nodding in agreement with his bold statement as they both held their weapons aloft.

The dark wizard simply guffawed at this, not taking either of them seriously. "As much as I'd love to trade barbs with the two of you, I'm afraid I have to be elsewhere…" his sinister grin grew as he lifted his hands into the air and a violet aura surrounded them. "But don't worry; I'll leave you two kids someone else to play with in the meantime. Unleash King Dodongo!"

With one more dark laugh, the wizard vanished from sight upon sinking seamlessly into the ground, leaving both Link and Zelda confused as to why he had retreated so suddenly. However, they soon got their answer as the ground beneath their feet began to shake ominously; a sudden crash thundered from several feet behind them, causing the ground to quake even more violently, almost to the point that none of the Hylian troops were able to keep their footing. Without a moment's hesitation, the princess and the recruit spun around to see what had caused the great clatter, and both of them were utterly shocked by what they saw.

Somehow, the wizard had summoned a huge, reptilian-like creature onto the battlefield, no doubt the monster that he had referred to as King Dodongo. Its imposing, scaly yellow form towered over the Hylian troops, who all looked upon the beast with awe and fear, especially as it let out a ear-piercing roar, its beady red eyes fixated hungrily on the troops in front of it.

"That monster is blocking the path to the fairy fountain!" Zelda exclaimed as she glared at King Dodongo, backing away from it along with Link so they could come up with a strategy to stop it. "We must get rid of it!"

"I was thinking the same thing," Link nodded in agreement, examining the beast and looking for any weak points. However, before another word could be exchanged between them, the monster sucked in a heavy breath through its large, tooth-filled mouth, before letting a hot blast of flame out. Fortunately, most of the Hylian soldiers were far enough away to avoid it without incident, but the princess and the recruit both knew that they would not be so lucky the next time as it stomped forward towards them, its large footsteps causing the ground to tremble each time.

Already, some of the braver soldiers had begun to approach King Dodongo, hoping to gain an advantage upon it, though none of them really knew how or where to attack it. Some tried striking it at its thick tail, only to be swiped aside by its heavy swing, some tried to cut it down near its throat only for the monster to knock them away with a forceful bat of its sharp claws, and even more went for a head on approach only for it to ram them with its deadly horns instantly. Zelda sucked in an uneven breath upon seeing some of her men fall to the creature's might, but she understood well what the cost of war was; no matter how large or small a battle was, there would always be some who would not survive it.

"Princess, you need to go on to the fairy fountain!" Link said to Zelda as he prepared to join the soldiers in fighting against the giant Dodongo. "I'll handle this thing and meet you there."

"Link, are you sure?" the princess asked with a frown, a part of her fearing for his chances since, even despite his apparent skill, he was still only a recruit.

"Yes," the recruit nodded as he left the princess's side to face the threatening beast without the slightest hint of fear. "Now, go!"

Zelda bit her lip anxiously, but nodded in agreement with this plan all the same, knowing that splitting up for the moment would be beneficial to gaining the advantage. Moving quickly and carefully, the princess began to circle widely around the beast so that it wouldn't notice her as she cut behind it in order to get to the fairy fountain. All the while, Link remained engaged in battle with the monster like the rest of the soldiers, only unlike them, he took a much more thoughtful approach as he circled the creature, keeping his guard up for any attacks as he looked for a hint of weakness. He stood apace from King Dodongo, and for several moments, he simply observed its attack patterns, looking for a vulnerable spot to get a hit in, but he couldn't see a single one. That is, until Proxi, who had also been keeping a careful eye on the beast, found one for him.

"Link, look!" the fairy exclaimed with excitement over her sudden idea, guiding the recruit's attention to the monster as it opened its mouth widely and charged its fiery breath up. "See how it's just sucking in air? I bet if you were to throw one of those bombs we found earlier into its mouth while it was doing that, you'd give it just the shock it needs for sure!"

Link grinned cleverly upon hearing this plan, seeing how it could work already. "Great idea," he said to his fairy companion as he prepared to put it into action, taking an explosive from the small stash he had gathered earlier and lighting its fuse before rushing towards the inhaling monster. And, right before it could let its burning breath go, the recruit tossed the bomb into its wide-open mouth, and, just as Link and Proxi had hoped for, its mouth snapped shut and it chewed upon the explosive as if it were just another snack.

At that moment, the bomb suddenly went off and King Dodongo let out a shrill scream of pain as he reeled back onto its hind legs before falling to its side, leaving the tender skin of its stomach completely exposed to attacks. Link didn't waste a single moment; before any of the soldiers could even come close, he was already there, hacking his blade away at the beast's belly roughly and forcefully, ignoring the spray of its dark blood with each new cut he elicited. However, all too soon the monster recovered from the shock of the bomb and began to roll back onto its feet, giving the recruit the sign to back off before he could be crushed by its massive weight. However, before Link could get away from the creature entirely, it lashed out in a provoked, enraged attack. Wildly swinging its claws in an uncalculated motion, the monster simply wished to hit anything it could, and as it did so, it just so happened to strike its main attacker. Link was unable to stifle a cry of pain as the beast ripped its claws across his chest roughly as he tried to back away, the force of the attack knocking him to the ground several feet away. The chainmail under his uniform did little to protect him from such a direct and heavy hit and already the three thick cuts that had been left across his chest were bleeding, but he ignored it, quickly rising to his feet once more, fueled by the sheer adrenaline of battle and little else.

However, upon seeing that it had managed to deal a hit upon the young recruit, King Dodongo seemed to take momentary satisfaction with this and, as if wanting to recover from its own wounds, curled up into itself and began to roll away from the soldiers at a harrowing speed. Of course, a large majority of the troops began to race after it in order to take it down before it could cause too much damage, including Link, but as he attempted to run with the rest of the knights, the sudden sharp sting of agony in his chest hindered him. With a groan of pain, the recruit tried to push it away as he wrapped his arms around his chest tightly to suppress the flow of blood so he could keep fighting, but as he tried to take another step, he quickly collapsed to his knees, his wounds and the exertion of battle finally starting to take their toll upon him.

What Link didn't know was that none of this had gone unnoticed by Princess Zelda, who had been relatively close to the entrance of the fairy fountain when King Dodongo had struck him, and even from there she had seen the whole thing. And, as the other soldiers left the young recruit alone in the middle of the field to suffer from his wounds while they went off to fight, her heart was moved with pity for him. And so, taking a brief glance behind her at the fairy fountain, Zelda decided that it could wait for at least a few more moments; after all, she had Impa up towards the northern fields, and she was confident that the Sheikah guardian could protect the castle for just a little longer while she aided Link.

Meanwhile, the young recruit merely remained in his position for a moment, desperately trying to reclaim his lost breath that would not come as the pain in his chest intensified with each passing second. Proxi flittered around him worriedly, wishing that she could do more to help him, but since she was not a healing fairy, there was really little she could do. All the while, Link silently scolded himself for not being more alert and careful, things that his uncle certainly would have gotten after him about as well. It was his first battle and he had already let the princess, as well as Hyrule down. He lowered his head in shame as he realized that perhaps the other recruits had been right when they said that he did not stand a chance on an actual battlefield. And now, he was paying the price for his stubbornness and hastiness.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed worriedly as she rushed towards him, sheathing her rapier at her side as she hurriedly knelt down beside him, already examining his injuries. "Are you alright?"

"P-princess?" Link muttered in obvious pain, glancing up at her in confusion and wondering why she had come back for him. "What a-are you… d-doing here? Why… why aren't you at the fairy fountain yet?"

"Because I saw you get hurt," the princess answered with resolve, glancing around the area surrounding them to make sure it was clear of monsters that might seek to further injure the wounded recruit. "Now come on; we need to get you to safety."

"Your h-highness… no…" Link protested stubbornly, knowing that she had to focus on the task at hand instead of him. "You n-need to make it… to the f-fairy fountain… Go on w-without me…"

Zelda frowned with concern upon seeing him grimace in clear agony, not even listening to his request for a moment. "Link, no," she said, taking his hand in hers and holding onto it tightly, allowing him to squeeze her own hand in order to slightly ease some of the pain. "You must come with me. I can already tell from how much pain you appear to be in that those cuts are more than skin deep. If we don't hurry, you could bleed out and die."

"But… but what about… t-the Great Fairy?" the recruit asked, ever mindful of what needed to be done to preserve Hyrule's safety, even despite his own possibly fatal injuries, something that impressed the princess quite a bit.

"We'll go there right now," Zelda said with honesty, not trying to convince him of any falsehood now. "I'm certain that she'll be able to heal your wounds and help us in this battle all at once. Now come on, you need to get up. That's an order."

Link attempted to follow her command, but the moment he tried to stand, he let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed to his hands and knees once more, his wounds still dripping blood all the while has his breaths came out in short, painful gasps. "It… h-hurts…" he muttered so softly that the princess could barely hear it, but she managed to catch it all the same.

"I understand that it hurts," she said with sympathy for him. After all, this certainly must have been the first time the young recruit had ever been wounded in such a way and so he was most likely not used to the intensity of such pain. "But you must push that fact out of your mind. A good soldier never gives up without a fight, even if that fight is against the limitations of your own body."

Zelda offered both of her hands to Link in order to help him up and he gladly took them, completely forgetting about her royal standing as she helped him laboriously and weakly rise to stand. His footing was uncertain and shaky, and he almost collapsed to the ground once more from the pain coursing through his chest, but fortunately the princess was quick to place a supportive arm around his shoulder to keep him upright, placing her free hand on the hilt of her rapier just in case anyone attempted to attack them. "Come on, Link," she whispered reassuringly to him, glancing over at his paled face and noticing that he was struggling to remain conscious. "We can make it."

The recruit answered her with a low moan as the two of them began to edge their way slowly yet steadily across the battlefield. Though the distance between them and the fairy fountain wasn't very far at all, Zelda didn't want to take it too fast for Link's sake, knowing that agitating his wounds too much could prove deadly if they didn't make it to the fairy fountain on time. At the same time, the last thing the princess wanted was for the recruit to slip into unconsciousness and not wake up, and so, to keep him away, she talked to him the whole way there, asking him questions and forcing him to answer them, even if he was far too exhausted to.

"What part of Hyrule do you come from?" she asked, starting with something simple to keep his focus diverted away from the pain.

"O-outskirts of F-Faron…" he answered weakly, coughing up the slightest bit of blood as he realized why she was suddenly striking up a conversation with him in order to keep him alive.

"How old are you?" she asked, though she already had a hunch as to his age.

"E-eighteen…" he replied quietly, his eyes threatening to droop shut as much as he willed them not to.

"So am I," she said, giving him a small smile. "Why did you decide to join the army?"

"M-my uncle…" he said wearily, but before he could continue he spiraled into sudden bout of violent coughing, giving Zelda the impression that the monster had managed to puncture his lungs somehow.

"I'm sorry," she said biting her lip upon realizing that he was unable to finish his answer and so she asked him something simpler. "Is this your first time in battle?"

Link only nodded, barely even able to keep his head up as the world grew burred and faded through his bleary vision. Zelda let out a sigh of relief as they finally passed through the threshold of the fountain, though in order to contact the Great Fairy, they had to make it to the magic circle at the end of the sanctum. "Well, you're doing a fine job, even despite that," she encouraged him with a warm smile, completely honest in her statement. There weren't many soldiers that, upon being injured like him, would be willing to get back up and keep going, proving that he was special, just as she had thought upon seeing him in the training yard.

"P-princess?" the recruit asked softly, his voice sounding small and broken as he slowly glanced over at her.

"Please, Link," Zelda said, attempting to quiet him so he would save his waning strength. "Call me Zelda."

"Zelda," Link said with a bit more strength forced into his voice as he corrected himself. "C-can I ask you… a question?"

"Of course."

"Why… why are you d-doing this?" he asked as their eyes met, both of them almost on the verge of tears for different reasons: his from the pain and hers from a strange feeling that had suddenly entered her heart, the fear that she might lose him. "W-why are you helping m-me? I'm j-just a… a recruit… and... you barely e-even… know me…"

Zelda was silent for a moment as she looked at him with deep concern, distracted by how striking his bright blue eyes were once more, even if they were quite possibly moments away from death. Indeed, why _was _she going to such great lengths to aid a new recruit that she had just met mere hours ago? While she had aided some of her fallen soldiers in the past, never before had she been so determined to keep one alive, so afraid of losing one to death's hold. After all, death was a part of war; it was as natural as the passage of time itself. And yet, even against her better judgment, the princess felt as though she had to ensure that the life of this young soldier was protected, no matter what the cost. He was different somehow, she just couldn't place the reason why yet. Tears began to stain her cheeks when she glanced down at his blood-soaked chest, her heart giving her a sign that if she wanted her kingdom to survive, then this young man had to live, no matter what.

But that was not what she told him. Instead, she merely set her expression to determined and resolved instead of fearful and worried. "Because," she said, her voice calm and collected as she kept her sights set on the magic circle just a few feet away from them. "A good leader, a good _warrior_, never leaves anyone behind, no matter who they are. That's why."

Neither of them said anything else as they finally entered into the magic circle, golden designs already forming on the floor they stood together on. "Great Fairy!" Zelda called out in a loud, reverent voice, her gaze locked upon the pure waters of the fountain in front of her. "In our hour of need, please come to our aid!"

No more than a second after the princess cried out to the Great Fairy, the waters in the glistening, peaceful fountain were stirred up, and from them, the magical being herself emerged with a cheerful laugh of mirth. The Great Fairy, while as benevolent as anything came, was certainly an imposing creature in her own regard. While most fairies took up the forms of human-like beings concealed in orbs of light, the Great Fairy appeared as a large, shapely woman, clothed in green leaves and white flowers, with dark pink hair that hung freely in multiple ponytails. Surrounding her were the smaller fairies that served her dutifully and as she looked upon the princess and the recruit, a kind smile appeared on her magenta lips, always ready to listen to the pleas of the pure hearted and noble.

"Greetings, Princess Zelda!" the Great Fairy welcomed brightly, her strong voice echoing throughout the temple. "And hello to you as well, Link," she said, her smile widening as the recruit gave her a small nod, not even question how she knew both of their names. She leaned in closer to the pair as she examined Link's poor condition, knowing full well that she was more than capable of healing it. "Oh my!" she said, reverting back to her original position of floating above the waters of the fountain. "I think we better heal you up before anything else, young hero! After all, it's the least I can do as thanks for saving little Proxi from those wicked beasts!" The tiny fairy at Link's side giggled cheerfully as she bowed in deep respect for the leader of the fairies.

The Great Fairy, still smiling calmly, glanced over at several of the fairies at her side, speaking to them in a language that Zelda could not understand but Link somehow did, and commanding them to go to the young recruit's aid. All of them laughed brightly as they flew towards him and as they circled him, they poured their rich healing magic upon his wounds, instantly healing them and ridding him of the pain they caused him, as well as renewing his lost energy. With their healing work accomplished, the group of fairies glided back to their leader, who gave both the princess and the recruit an expectant grin.

"Thank you," Link said to the Great Fairy with the sincerest gratitude, feeling so relieved to no longer have to deal with such immense pain.

"Oh no, dear Son of Courage…" the Great Fairy said, spinning around as she gave him a playful wink. "Thank _you_ for working to rid this field of those horrible little creatures! Did both of you know that when those monsters first invaded Hyrule Field this morning, they tried to capture all of my dear little fairies? Unthinkable!"

"Why would anyone try to do such a horrible thing?" Zelda asked, knowing just how important fairies were to Hyrule. They not only served as healers, but they also were said to be the messengers of the goddesses themselves, blocking evil energy from adversely affecting the land. Without their protection, Hyrule certainly would be at a great loss indeed.

"That is what I was wondering!" the Great Fairy exclaimed. "All I know is that they were led by a dark wizard and a knight who could transform into a knight, but if I remember correctly, there was a third one of them as well… A woman, if my memory serves me right. Why, I don't know what we would have done if that darling young sorceress hadn't come by when she did to push them back before you arrived on the battlefield, princess."

"Sorceress?" the princess asked in confusion, exchanging a wondering glance with the recruit. But, before either of them could ask the Great Fairy further on the matter, she changed the topic to the reason why the two of them had come to seek her aid in the first place.

"Now, you've both come to me hoping to rid the field of the rest of those monsters, yes?" she asked, to which both Link and Zelda nodded insistently. "Very well then, I'll grant this request since you both worked so very hard to get here."

"Thank you, Great Fairy," Zelda said with a thankful smile. "My attendant has cornered most of their forces into the northern fields, but the wizard managed to unleash a great beast out into the fields."

"Oh, not a problem, Daughter of Wisdom," the Great Fairy said with a relaxed smile. "I'll be sure to weaken that little nuisance along with the rest of them, making him easy work for your army to take out. Now… let us begin!" With a playful laugh, the leader of the fairies lifted her hands into the air and summoned more of her fairies to come to her, before sending them down to surround the princess and the recruit. With graceful movements, the little fairies took the bombs that both of them had on hand and glided off with them, while Link and Zelda watched with anticipating smiles all the while, as they both wondered what kind of miracle the Great Fairy was about to perform for them.

All throughout Hyrule Field, the fairies flittered about, searching for any extra bombs they could find. Simply seeing the lovely little creatures set the minds of the Hylian and Goron forces who were fighting tirelessly to ease, all of them realizing that the princess's plan was about to come to fruition.

* * *

Impa's giant blade ripped across several more monsters as she tried to thin their number out like she had been doing for what seemed like ages. A part of her was admittedly starting to grow impatient with the princess, wondering what was taking her so long in getting to the fairy fountain and praying that she was unharmed. And yet, almost the very moment that such worried entered her mind, they were set to ease as she saw the large group of fairies, all of them bearing bombs, circling several feet above the northern fields, where she had successfully managed to lure most of the enemy forces. However, as relieved as she was to see that Zelda had made it to the fairy fountain, the Sheikah guardian's scarlet eyes widened when she saw the bombs that the fairies had converge into one giant one, a bomb that would certainly be enough to obliterate all of these monsters, and all of the Hylian troops still fighting, with ease.

"Fall back!" Impa commanded loudly, and, upon seeing the giant bomb looming above their heads, none of her troops hesitated to listen. They all rushed away from the northern fields with as much speed as they could muster, and once the Great Fairy could see that they were all safe, she commanded her fairies to let their deadly creation go.

The giant bomb detonated the moment it touched the ground, killing hundreds of the monsters almost instantly and severely wounding many more. Even King Dodongo, who had managed to wander into those parts of the field, received the blunt of the blast and was weakened even more in addition to the wounds that Link had inflicted upon it early. Upon seeing the devastating blow dealt to their foes, the morale of the Hylian troops instantly rose as they all rushed headfirst back into the fray, ready to take care of the last of the invaders.

* * *

Back at the fairy fountain, the Great Fairy let out a bright chuckle of triumph as she gave a small parting wave to the princess and the recruit, before disappearing back into her fountain with one last message for them: "If battle has made you weary, please come back to see me!"

Without wasting another moment, Link and Zelda both rushed outside of the fountain and they were immediately able to see the effects that the Great Fairy's magic had on the battle. It was as if the tides had been turned instantly; to the north, the Hylian troops were prevailing over the monsters and towards the south, the fleeting number that remained was in a full scale retreat, all of them vastly outnumbered by the Hyrulian forces now.

"We did it!" Zelda cheered triumphantly, watching with pride as her soldiers took the lead in this fight. "The enemy's forces have suffered a great loss!" Unable to contain her joy and excitement any longer, the princess hastily embraced Link tightly, completely taking the young recruit by surprise as she hugged him, though he had to admit that he enjoyed it as he hesitantly hugged her back. "Thank you so much, Link…" Zelda whispered to him as she closed her eyes, slightly leaning her head against his shoulder. "I knew that you were strong…"

"Ahem…" Impa's disapproving voice caught both of them off guard from behind. They both immediately broke up their embrace to see the Sheikah guardian standing a few feet behind them, her arms crossed as she gave the slightest hint of a warning glare to the young recruit.

"Impa!" Zelda exclaimed nervously, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks from Link more than anyone else. "W-when did you get here?"

"Just now," Impa said nonchalantly, though she knew there was little time to dwell on her suspicions as to what might have occurred between the princess and the recruit when they were alone together. "But that matters little. Princess, the enemy forces have been greatly weakened. It's my guess that we'll be able to drive them back within the next hour or so. It is for that reason that I must ask you to pull back to the castle. We can manage the battle from here."

"But Impa, I want to fight!" Zelda protested, drawing her rapier once more. Though she knew that her guardian had her best interests at heart, she also knew that Impa often worried for her safety a bit too much, something that had always aggravated her ever since she was little.

"And I know that you can," the Sheikah guardian said with understanding as she placed a hand on her young ward's shoulder. "But this fight is almost over. You have fought enough today. Now, you must return to the castle and serve as its last line of defense in case they break through. Please princess, Hyrule cannot afford to lose you."

The princess glanced down despondently before briefly glancing over at Link, who simply frowned at her, understanding her position well. After all, he had been in the very same spot when his commanding officer had told him that he couldn't fight. And yet, he knew that Zelda indefinitely had more respect for Impa, which was why the princess merely nodded in relent as she sheathed her weapon. "I understand…" she said with the slightest hint of remorse in her tone as she turned to head back to the castle. "May the goddesses protect you… And Link…?" she glanced over her shoulder once more to give the recruit a small smile, one that was full of hope and kindness. "Good luck…"

Without another word, Zelda turned around and hurried off, much to Link's dismay. He wasn't sure why, but something felt off about her leaving so suddenly. A part of him felt as though he wouldn't see her again for quite some time, which meant that he wouldn't be able to thank her for saving his life and giving him hope when he had been on the brink of death. And it was because of that possibility that he was prompted to start to head after her, hoping to catch up with her so he could show his gratitude properly. "Zelda, wait!" he called out to her, but before he could chase after her, he was stopped by Impa placing a firm hand upon his shoulder.

"Let her go, Link," the Sheikah guardian said reassuringly. "You know as well as I do that she must be kept safe at all costs."

The young recruit remained silent, frowning as he watched the princess disappear into a keep and out of his sight. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to be near her, to be by her side and to protect her just as she had protected him. And yet, Zelda was strong and capable in her own right; certainly she could keep herself safe, no matter what the occasion.

Impa noticed Link's melancholy and let out a small sigh, already realizing what was starting to happen here, as much as it aggravated her. But nonetheless, she had no time to focus on that now. Instead, she simply pushed her way past Link, turning to glance back at him as she beckoned for him to follow. "Come on, recruit," she said with a determined grin, her hand on the hilt of her giant knife as she faced the battle ahead. "We've got an overgrown reptile to take care of."

* * *

With as much haste as possible, Link and Impa rushed towards the northern fields, where King Dodongo still ran free but mildly injured thanks to the Great Fairy's massive strike. Most of the Hylian soldiers were taking care of the last few stragglers remaining from the enemy forces, making it clear that only the massive beast needed to be brought down in order for this battle to be won. As the Sheikah guardian and the young recruit approached the monster with their weapons already poised to attack, they stopped several feet away to watch it writhe in pain, though clearly it was more enraged than ever.

"How did that wizard transport a creature of that size to the battlefield so quickly?" Impa asked incredulously as she kept her sights set on the monster alone.

"I don't know," Link replied, already taking more caution in standing against the monster, lest he be taken down by its deadly claws once more. "But I do know what its weak spot is: its stomach."

"I'm guessing that's how it got all of those cuts there then?" the Sheikah guardian asked, giving a slight look of approval to the young recruit beside her.

"Yeah," Link said with a modest grin and a shrug. "I also know how to get it onto its side; just throw a bomb into its mouth when its open and that will stun it almost instantly."

"Very resourceful…" Impa mused with a pleased smile. "A plan befitting a master tactician. Let's do it then; I'll work with the bombs while you go in for the attacks. Since it's already wounded, this shouldn't take too long."

"Got it," the recruit said, following behind the Sheikah leader as they began to carry out their plan. Even though they were the only two really fighting against King Dodongo, it quickly became clear that they didn't need any help from the other soldiers. The giant beast's movements had grown slow and clumsy thank to the injuries it had sustained, making its attacks much easier to dodge than before, and thankfully, it still telegraphed its flame attacks, allowing Impa to quickly slip a few bombs into its maw. Once the explosives had its effect on the monster's insides and it collapsed to its side, Link quickly went to work on it as he had before, brutally slashing away at its tender flesh and taking great care to distance himself from it before it reclaimed its footing. After the wear monster attempted to lash out at its opponents once more, Link and Impa repeated this cycle with quick precision, until, with one deep, fatal blow landed almost directly at the behemoth's heart, it let out a ear-splitting cry of agony and rolled onto its back, before instantly vanishing into a thick puff of smoke, finally vanquished.

All of the nearby soldiers cheered in triumph upon seeing King Dodongo meet his end, signifying that this battle was over and that they had emerged victorious from this attack. Both Link and Impa sheathed their blades as the Sheikah guardian turned to address the troops, a satisfied grin on her face. "Excellent job, everyone," she said with pride to her elite soldiers, glad to see that most of them had survived this strike. "This is why we never give up without a fight!"

"Lady Impa!" one of the captains suddenly ran up to the Sheikah guardian breathlessly, clearly distraught as he knelt before her in respect. "We have just received a terrible news! The enemy wizard somehow managed to penetrate the castle!"

"What?!" both Impa and Link exclaimed in unison, both of their concern immediately going towards Princess Zelda.

"How could such a thing happen!?" the Sheikah guardian growled in fury, clenching her fists tightly at her sides. "I am certain that we had ample guards stationed in and around it!"

"That monster must have been a distraction while they attacked the castle," the young recruit surmised with an angry frown.

"I'd bet anything that it was," Impa said crossly. "Where is Princess Zelda!? Is she safe?!"

The captain looked up at the Sheikah leader with both fear at her reaction to what he was about to say as well as obvious panic that told Impa everything before he even spoke. "We… we can't find the princess anywhere!" he exclaimed worriedly.

"What?!" Impa nearly shouted in alarm, her already fiery red eyes growing large with unbridled rage for their foes. This disheartening news struck the Sheikah guardian very hard for several reasons. Firstly, as the princess's caretaker and attendant, it was her responsibility to protect Zelda at any and all costs; with the princess missing, she had failed at this responsibility something that brought her great shame and disgrace. But even more than the damage that this loss had done to her pride, Princess Zelda was also very dear to Impa's heart; after all, she had served the princess ever since they were both young and the friendship and care that they had towards one another was undeniable. The greatest concern for the young monarch filled the Sheikah guardian's heart as she prayed and hoped that the enemy had not gotten their foul hands upon her and brought her any harm.

"Search everywhere for her!" Impa demanded harshly to all of her nearby troops. "Spread the word! I want everyone on the lookout for the princess! This kingdom will not rest until she is found! Link, I want you to-" However, as she turned toward the young recruit, she cut herself short upon seeing that he was no longer at her side. After glancing around in confusion for a brief moment, she saw him running towards the direction of the castle, already following the Sheikah guardian's orders and searching for any signs of the princess that he could hope to find.

Keeping his eyes wide open, Link entered into the threshold of the castle keep, glancing around to see if he could spot Zelda, despite what the captain had reported moments ago. Certainly, in the brief time that they had been fighting against King Dodongo, the enemy couldn't have broken into the castle and made off with the princess that quickly, could they?

All the same, the young recruit was certainly worried for the princess, for even more than the obvious fact that the kingdom was now missing its beloved young monarch. The words that she had softly said to him when she had been escorting him to the fairy fountain still rung clearly in his mind: _"A good warrior never leaves anyone behind". _Of course, it was quite clear that no one intended on forgetting about Princess Zelda herself in the aftermath of her disappearance, but all the same, Link was resolved to do anything it took to find her. After all, she had believed in him when few else did, she had encouraged him onward when he thought that he could go on no longer, and she had saved his life when he had been on the brink of certain death. These were great, selfless favors that the young recruit refused to leave unrepaid. He was determined to return these favors in any way he could, and if that meant running headfirst into any danger in order to bring the princess of Hyrule home, then so be it.

However, as Link made it to the center of the keep, he didn't find a sign of Zelda anywhere; instead, the area was completely abandoned, or so it appeared upon a first glance. A sudden shriek emitted from the back corner of the enclosure, alerting the recruit to the presence of a small group of bokoblin that had somehow managed to survive the defeat of their brethren. Immediately, they all rushed towards Link with their weapons raised, but of course, the recruit wasn't about to be taken by surprise too much. As the monsters began to pounce, he quickly spun around, his hand flying to the hilt of sword, but before he could cut through them, another blade did instead.

As the dead bokoblins fell to the wayside, Impa landed deftly before Link, placing her tall blade upright beside her as she held onto a bundle of green with her other hand. She gave the young recruit a small nod, accepting his unspoken apology for coming to his aid before she spoke. "As you heard, we can't locate Princess Zelda anywhere," she said bitterly, getting right to the point. "I pray that she is safe…"

"I hope that she is too," Link said with a small remorseful sigh as he sheathed his sword and glanced down fretfully. "What do you think could have happened to her?"

"It's hard to say…" Impa said with a frown, though there was still clearly frustration and guilt behind it. "If the other soldiers do not find her by nightfall, then we must assume that she is not anywhere near the castle. I am unsure if the enemy managed to capture her, but at the moment, that is my best guess as to her fate. Which is why I must ask your help in finding her, recruit. I trust that you are willing?"

"Yes," Link said with firm resolve, not even hesitating for a moment to accept this task. "I'll do whatever it takes to help find her."

Impa smiled sharply upon hearing this, giving him a small nod of gratitude. "That's what I wanted to hear," she said with clear confidence for him. "Already you have shown that your abilities and skill in battle far excel many of my own troops, even despite your youth and lack of experience. Did you receive prior combat training before enlisting?"

"Yes," the recruit said, though he was careful not to show too much pride in his abilities. "My uncle had been a retired captain and he taught me everything I know from the time I was young."

"It shows," the Sheikah guardian said with a nod. "You have certainly proved your worth and courage in this battle, far more than I have ever seen out of a soldier so young before. And so I have to ask… how would you feel about moving up through the ranks?"

Link frowned upon hearing this, knowing that he was not worth of such an honor. "I can't," he said, being completely honest with the high general herself. "I'm not even a part of the army anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Impa asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"I got kicked out for insubordination," he explained. "I disobeyed my commanding officer and came out to fight even though he ordered me not to."

The Sheikah guardian merely grinned cleverly upon hearing this, somewhat amused by the irony of the circumstances. "Well then," she said, holding the bundle of green clothing she held in her hand out to him. "Won't your former commanding officer, as well as the rest of your fellow recruits be surprised to hear that you've just been promoted to second-in-command over the entire army?"

"What?!" Link exclaimed in completely confusion as he glanced up at her in total shock.

"You heard me," Impa said, giving him an instant nod to take the bundle of clothing in her hand, which he hesitantly did. "These clothes that I'm giving to you are very special. The green tunic and cap represent the strength, honor and courage of the spirit of the noblest hero of the land. The blue scarf, however, is a new addition to the garb, sown by Princess Zelda's own hands. Before she disappeared, she told me that it was to bestow the title of second general of the Hylian army upon its wearer, and I can think of no one more worthy of that position than you, Link."

"Wow…" the young recruit said in absolute amazement as he looked to the clothes in his hands, bewildered at what the Sheikah guardian had just told him. "Lady Impa, are you sure? I just don't think I'm worthy of such an honor..." he said humbly, knowing that there certainly must have been more deserving of such an illustrious title.

"And why is that?" Impa asked him inquisitively.

"Because… I… I'm just a new recruit," Link said with a frown, glancing down to his feet in depreciation. "Because this was my first battle and I almost died fighting in it… Because… because I don't want to let you, or Zelda, or Hyrule down…"

The Sheikah guardian was silent upon hearing this, for even despite his honest, rational fears, his words were certainly those befitting the kind of hero that her and the princess had been looking for. Not only was he strong and steadfast in battle, he was also humble, yet devoted, qualities that defined someone worthy of taking on this difficult mantle more than anything else. "Link…" she said with the smallest hint of reassurance in her otherwise gruff tone. "Are you afraid of the trials and difficulties you may face on the path ahead of you?"

Now it was Link's turn to be silent as he thought about this question. In truth, the bloodshed and intensity of war did not do much to faze him. Facing the strange, malevolent enemy that now threatened Hyrule did not intimidate him. Even standing up in the face of death itself did not bring him much fear. What he truly feared above all else was failure, and the possibility that lives, including the life of Hyrule's own princess, could be lost if he did not succeed in the mission that Impa had presented to him. But even if he was afraid, he knew that he had to stand up in the face of those fears and rise to the occasion, even if no one else would. "No," he said firmly, resolve entering his tone as courage shined through his blue eyes once more. "I'm not afraid. I'll fight for Hyrule and Princess Zelda, even if I die trying."

Impa smiled at this bold, noble statement, knowing that he was nothing less than genuine. "Then I trust that you will," she said, glancing down at the mark of the three golden triangles still glowing on the back of his hand, the mark of the Triforce of Courage itself, yielded by only the truest heroes of Hyrule. "And I know that you will be a hero worthy of wearing this tunic, a general worthy of bearing this scarf, and a warrior worthy of saving Hyrule in its time of need."

* * *

**Yay! Long chapter is long, but also EPIC and romantic and dramatic and awesome! Yay! Next time around we're gonna have Link and Impa heading to the Eldin caves, so horrah for that! In the meantime, as I work on my other stuff, might I make a recommendation for you all? If you want to read a really sad, AU oneshot based around the SS prequel manga, go check out the little oneshot I wrote the other day entitled "Forever", which you may find on my profile. For now, I must work on more W&amp;C and L&amp;S, but please do not forget to REVIEW if you liked! Until next time! :D**


	5. The Sheikah Tribesmen

_Ok, well this chapter drained me, but here it finally is! (and its really long!) Anyway, this time around we're gonna be covering the entire Eldin Caves stage, though I had originally intended to split it up into two chapters but I figured why not give you guys a little extra (that and I couldn't think of a good splitting point) Before we go on I would just like to say THANKS to all 109 of you who have followed and everyone who as favorited! I am so impressed by your super awesome support guys! Now onto the reviews!_

_**OkayDokey33**: I know what you mean about HW's plot! And yes, my writing is serious, so I do take it quite seriously! As far as the thing with Link and his former officer, I couldn't think of a way to squeeze it into this chapter, but I could definitely take that idea into consideration for a future chapter! After all, everyone else will have other things on their mind in this chapter..._

_**Boom**: Yeah, I'm not great at writing action, but I do try! And yes, I do have every intention of finishing this and I also intend on Ghirahim being a total creeper cause he is! :D And yes, everyone is going to have their own unique reactions to Link (and in some cases Zelda too, though her case is different)_

_**CupcakePride101**: Yeah, there are already sparks between the two of them! Hahah... And Impa is just a little exasperated cause she thinks Zelda should have other things on her mind than romance as princess of Hyrule ;P_

_**GO ZeldaXLink**: Aw... Thanks a ton!_

_**NoSignalBlueScreen**: Glad you liked both Forever and this!:D_

_**Darkrai6534**: I plan on giving everyone at least some development, especially the side characters cause they're so great! I'm personally a die-hard Zelink shipper, but I think that Link and Lana would also make a nice couple (and I do plan on ship teasing them here a little... ;) As far as incorporating the other Links... you'll see... ;) And yeah, the intros will be changed a little, given more depth, and whatnot... ;D_

_**Legendoffun**: Glad you like it!_

_**Stlyin80**: Thank you!_

_**RandomButLoved**: Glad you liked the romance and yes, there will be a few chapters set in between stages... Though we aren't going to have one for a while yet... and yes! Lana is coming the chapter right after this one, so hooray!_

_**Ezakiel**: Yeah, typos are a pain... hahaha... And yeah, the battle may have been a little short, but action has never been my strong suit, though I do try to do my best. And yeah, Ruto's reaction to Link, as well as Midna's and a few other characters is going to be great :D And Agitha will have a place here, just like the rest of the warriors. As far as Sheik goes... you'll find out in this chapter, how I plan on handling her... And yes! I do know about Navi's little cameo and I'm certainly gonna put it in here! And believe me, Link is going to be right in there fighting, even despite his newfound status. As far as the bombs go... I dunno, they weren't really my main concern in the last chapter so... hehehe..._

_**Pikatwig**: Glad someone caught the Link to the Past ref! Hahahaa ;D I just figured that Link really needed more backstory in HW, instead of him just coming completely out of nowhere... T_T As far as HW's place in the timeline, I actually think its set post TP, which is where I plan on placing it in this story, but eh, to each their own theory! _

_**Skydragon74193**: Thanks!_

_**Link The Hero of Light**: Uh... ok!_

_**Jack**: To an extent I do plan on incorporating some parts of Cia's tale... I just gotta figure out how... ;) _

_**Zelda the Wise**: Glad you like it! And Sheik is on the way in this chapter! :D_

_**mega-dark**: Yeah, I deviated a little, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I can't wait to write Cia either (she's my new fav Zelda villain! :D)_

_**Flameshield**: Hahaha my friend, that is exactly the sorta interactions between Sheik and Impa that you are gonna get in this chapter! Enjoy it! :D_

_**ultimateCC**: Oh boy... ahahahaah XD_

_**R-king 93**: Thank you_

_**Elemental-Aura**: Glad you noticed that ref.! And yeah, I feel like there was not nearly enough romance between Link and Zelda in the game, so of course I plan on changing that! And I dunno... Sheik might drop a few hints here and there... ;) _

_**Lady Kiridia**: Thank you! I can't wait till we get to Lana and Cia either!_

_**Beforethedawnbreaks**: Yeah, its kinda ironic, isn't it? ;D  
_

_**DarthPheonixFire**: I do plan on covering Zelda's escape in a later chapter, so don't fret! As far as Impa not knowing who Sheik is, I'm going to give a more logical reason here, I hope!_

_**mysteryfriend16**: Ask away! :D_

_**KPGirl1227**: Oh yeah, bring out the Sheik!_

_Wooo... SO MANY REVIEWS! I am utterly awed you guys! We're almost at 100 already and I've barely just begun! Love ya'll let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 4: The Sheikah Tribesman_

_Two weeks later…_

Impa slammed her fist down on the map of Hyrule that laid in front of her in frustration, muttering growled curses under her breath as she glanced over the kingdom once more. Two weeks had passed since Princess Zelda's mysterious disappearance, and there had been no word of her fate or location since. The whole kingdom was in an uproar without their wise, benevolent young leader, and the strange, sudden outbreak of monsters certainly didn't help. The Sheikah guardian had much on her hands in light of this, and her army was spread thin and wide across the vast land, each faction seeming to deal with a different issue. Nearly half of her forces were working across the various regions of Hyrule, fighting to quell the flow of invaders that were besetting the land and its people. Many small towns and villages had been attacked and there had been a few that had not been able to be saved in time, much to Impa's displeasure. Innocent people were being hurt, monsters were running amuck, Hyrule's natural beauty was being ravaged, and all the while, the princess herself was missing; all of these troubles were quickly adding up into an almost insurmountable issue, one that the Sheikah guardian had no solid answer for. Even with her troops divided among staving off the monsters and searching for Zelda, it seemed as though things were getting worse by the day as Hyrule, the kingdom that had known nothing but peace and prosperity only a few weeks ago, was quickly starting to fall into decline and ruin.

With an aggravated sigh, Impa looked over her map once more, shaking her head in disappointment. Anything could be happening to the princess, and yet the Sheikah guardian, the one who was entrusted with her care and protection long ago, was at a complete loss over what to do. Zelda's disappearance had been so sudden and strange that no one could really explain it, something that bothered Impa even more. "It just doesn't make any sense…" she whispered to herself in confusion, futilely scanning the map for places that had not been searched yet. "Where could she be?"

"Good question," a voice from behind the Sheikah leader said. She turned around to see Link enter into the war room, joining her in her otherwise solitary studies. The looks of weariness and concern, most likely for the princess's wellbeing were apparent on the recruit-turned-hero's expression, things that Impa realized were probably reflected on her own face, as well as stress and frustration.

"I see you're finally wearing those clothes like I've been telling you to for the past week," the Sheikah guardian said dryly as she looked him up and down, seeing that instead of his recruit uniform, he now wore the green tunic of the hero, along with its matching cap, as well as the metal left-side shoulder armor that came with it and the blue scarf signifying his newfound status as second general. In truth, Link wasn't quite used to not just the clothes and the honor that they meant, but the fact that many of the soldiers he once served under now called him general and looked to him as a leader was something that he was still having a hard time believing. Several times over the past two weeks, Proxi had jokingly told him not to let it get to his head, but the hero really couldn't even if he tried. He was so used to being at the bottom rung of the ladder that now that he was at the top, he had no idea how to feel or act. Everything had been thrust upon him so suddenly, and yet, even if he was having a hard time adjusting to all of these changed, one thing was still certain: he was as determined as ever to help find Zelda.

It was for this reason that he had been tiringly helping Impa search all over the kingdom, going on scouting missions with her and her elite forces, and aiding in researching the geography of the kingdom to see if there was anything they might have missed or overlooked. Perhaps, both Link and Impa were starting to theorize, if Zelda was found and returned soon, then the disasters befalling Hyrule would finally come to an end.

In answer to the Sheikah guardian's comment, the hero simply glanced down at his outfit and shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured it was about time," he said before changing the subject. "So, are you any closer to finding her?"

Impa frowned and shook her head as Link joined her in examining the map. "Not at all..." she admitted with a fretful sigh. "I just don't understand it. How does someone, the princess of Hyrule no less, vanish without a single trace! Certainly, she would have tried to contact us by now if she's out there somewhere, even if she was captured by the enemy."

"Maybe we've just been looking in all the wrong places…" the hero mused as he glanced down at the map. "Where haven't we sent troops to yet?"

"Just about everywhere," Impa said, crossing her arms. "They've checked all throughout Hyrule Field, Gerudo Desert, Lanayru Valley… I'd say the only two major regions we haven't searched through are the Eldin Caves and Faron Woods…"

"Well, why don't we try searching there?" Link suggested.

"The Eldin Caves are a death trap," the Sheikah guardian said stoutly. "Soldiers have gone through there in the past and very few have made it out alive. I wouldn't risk even going there unless we had an absolute lead. And besides, I have no reason to believe that Zelda would go to such a dangerous place on her own. As for Faron… well, it's plausible. But right now, we're spread so thin that sending a search party out that way is going to have to wait."

A bout of silence filled the room for a moment, before the hero spoke up once more. "Do you think she's ok?" he asked, clearly concerned for the princess's safety.

Impa sighed, her worried frown betraying her dread well. "It is my constant prayer to the goddesses that she is…" she said softly, her rough, firm exterior starting to break through to a more vulnerable side of the hardened general that Link had never seen before.

Before either of them could say anything else however, a knock sounded at the doors to the war room, to which Impa responded with a command to enter. A captain of one of the scout teams that was charged with searching for the princess entered in, bowing respectfully before both generals before speaking. "Lady Impa, General Link," he began with a hint of urgency in his tone. "We have just received a report that comes to us from our outposts near Faron Woods. Apparently, there's a small resistance being led there against the invading enemy that is not directly affiliated with the Hyrulian army. But what's more is that this force is being led by a young woman, though no one knows who she is or what she looks like."

"A young woman!" Impa exclaimed, her scarlet eyes growing wide at this sudden news. "It could be Princess Zelda!"

"See?" Link said jokingly, with a bit of a sarcastic grin. "You should have had soldiers stationed there a long time ago."

The Sheikah guardian, not impressed with his tone, sent him a sharp warning glare. "Watch your tone, boy," she cautioned, though it was clear that she was too elated by this report to be outright angry with him. The possibility that this young woman could be the missing princess filled the Sheikah guardian with hope and excitement. After weeks of pointless searching and constant worry, there was a chance, however small that all of this uncertainty and anxiety could finally come to an end. And, even though it was only a small lead, it was enough to get Impa motivated into acting upon it.

"Rally the other scout troops!" she commanded firmly to the captain. "Tell them to set a course for Faron immediately. We move out tomorrow at dawn!"

* * *

Faron Woods laid miles to the north of Hyrule Castle. And yet, the path to get there was anything but simple. The most straightforward route of getting there was to head through the mountains, though with the legion of soldiers that Impa intended on taking with her, such an arduous, uphill journey could take weeks, weeks that Hyrule didn't really have to wait for the return of its ruler. However, there was another, much faster way to get to the woods, though it certainly wasn't the most ideal: the Eldin Caves. The entrance to the caves was to the northeast, and the mining tunnels that they were composed of eventually led out near Faron. Yet at the same time, they were rife with danger; since they ran through the Eldin Mountains, they were volcanic, littered with countess pools of molten lava. The environment was sweltering and unbearable, even in the tunnels that were relatively bereft of magma and lined with rare crystals instead. Very few who had ever entered into its mazelike passageways made it out on the other side to tell the tale, but both the Sheikah guardian and the hero hoped that they would be able to lead their troops through with both safety and speed.

Of course, the Hylian troops, consisting of more than two-hundred foot soldiers, found that an all new danger awaited them as they entered into the steamy caverns. Like every other location in Hyrule, the enemy monsters had happened to find their way into the Eldin Caves as well, making an already difficult trek even more challenging. Stalchildren ran rampant, and every now and then the occasional Stalfos and big poe lined the way as well. The troops would not only have to pass through miles of treacherous terrain in the devastating heat, but they would also have to deal with this pressing infestation if they wanted to make it out alive.

As the leaders of the army, Link and Impa were the first to pass through the cave's entrance, and by the time their entire squadron was inside, the first few monsters had been spotted but not approached. Before any fighting could begin, the Sheikah guardian turned to her troops to relay them instructions, though she could already tell from their expressions that they were uncomfortable in the unsavory conditions of the humid caverns. "Listen up!" she shouted over the soldiers, hoping that it wouldn't draw to much attention to them from their nearby enemies. "We need to get through these caves as quick as possible. There are monsters up ahead, and so I want you all to be on top your guard. I know that the intense heat in here doesn't make circumstances any better, and so try not to overexert yourselves and remember to ration your water and supplies. I want as many of us to make it out of here alive as possible. Travel with caution and watch each other's backs. We'll all rendezvous at the cave's exit before moving on. Now move out!"

The soldiers were quick to follow the command of their general as they scattered, rushing forward along the path that led towards the mining tunnels. It was possible to get lost within the Eldin Caves, and thanks to the presence of the monsters throughout, many of the easier passageways were closed off, making the route much more inconvenient; but nonetheless, the allied troops began to steadily push their way through them, with both Link and Impa bringing up the rear to make sure that no one was left behind.

"Goddesses, it's hot…" the hero remarked with a deep breath as he ran alongside the Sheikah guardian, wiping the sweat from his brow with one hand and holding onto his sword with the other.

"You get used to it," Impa said astutely, having conditioned herself to such extreme environments as this for years. "For now, our main priority is getting everyone out of here in one piece. The exit is quite far from our current position, and with things looking like they are now, we'll have to go the long way up north to get there…"

"Sounds easy enough," Link said, watching as Impa took down a few monsters that were heading their way.

"Easier said than done," the Sheikah guardian replied, her focus unwavering as she continued to dash towards a group of foes. "But, if you remember nothing else from this battle, Link, then I want you to remember this: keeping a cool, level head is vital to success in any fight. Especially one in a place like this."

The hero nodded, taking the advice of the wise Sheikah guardian to heart as he joined her in opposing the stalchildren that were approaching them. Already interspersed throughout their number was several Hylian soldiers, though quite a few of them had ignored the creatures and went on ahead. But nonetheless, Link and Impa remained fighting off the rather large group, both of them showing their impressive skill in battle. With strong, broad swipes, the hero tore his knight's sword through the skeletons, shattering them upon each heavy impact. At the same time, the Sheikah leader landed her own devastating blows, her giant blade nearly crushing all who stood in her path as she executed her skillful moves with both precision and agility.

Once the block of monsters had been relatively thinned out, Proxi, who had flown a little ways ahead to check on the status of the Hyrulian troops for Link and Impa, flittered back to the hero and reported her findings dutifully. "The troops have gone ahead without us!" the fairy exclaimed to both of them, though the hero was the only one who could understand her words. "Link, we have to catch up!"

'Looks like we're the ones getting left behind," Link translated for Impa, who nodded and took a glance behind her to make sure that no straggling soldiers were left in the entryway only to find none, much to her relief. There was no going back now, but at least that meant that the first portion of the caves were clear.

"Then let's get a move on," Impa said with resolve as she sheathed her blade for the moment and went on ahead, her mind set on little else than escaping from the caves. Link followed suit, trusting that the experienced Sheikah leader knew the way better than he did. And soon enough, they were able to reunite with the bulk of the troops since the path had been mostly clear of monsters thanks to their prior advance. However, upon regrouping with the troops, both of the generals were able to see why their advance had been abruptly stopped. A towering stone spire rose high above the troops, blocking their path in one way while the flow of lava impeded their northward progress even more. Though most of the soldiers were eager to press on, they all smartly took this brief impasse as an opportunity to catch their breaths and allow themselves to recuperate from the still oppressive heat that they already couldn't wait to get out of.

"What are we supposed to do about that?" Link asked Impa as the two of them approached the spire and examined it carefully.

The Sheikah guardian pondered this for a moment, but before she could answer it, a sudden uproar sounded throughout the back end of the legion of troops. Another large group of foes, this time led by two big poes, was quickly coming up on the soldiers, and this time, they had nowhere to run. Cornered, the Hylian troops were forced to fight, even though many of them had started to grow exhausted from the heat. Link was quick to join in the fighting without hesitation, but Impa remained near the spire for a moment, giving it another brief glance as a sudden idea came to her, one that brought a small, clever smile to her face.

"Link!" she called out to the fighting hero. "Stay here and keep leading the troops in this fight. I have a plan!"

"Got it!" Link called back as he thrust his blade into one of the commanding poes, destroying it almost instantly. Impa called a few of her elite soldiers out of the group and cut a path through the stalchildren until they were out of the thick of it.

"Lady Impa," one of the captains said to the Sheikah guardian as they headed to the southwest. "These caves… No matter how many monsters we cut down, more keep coming out. What are we going to do about it?"

"Well, fight of course," Impa said stoutly. "And, if my plan works, then we shouldn't have so many monsters to worry about. I figure that if we can break that spire, then we should be able to get across the lava. All we need is a little help from our Goron allies."

"But Lady Impa," another soldier said with a frown. "We have no Goron allies here!"

"That's where you're wrong, soldier," the Sheikah guardian said with a grin. "It's not smart to go into a battle like this alone. That's why it's always a good idea to have some allies wherever you go."

The group of soldiers all glanced at one another in confusion, but they didn't question their general's idea as the continued to follow her loyally. However, before Impa could make it to her intended destination, a sudden voice echoed throughout the caves, catching all of the Hylian troops, including the Sheikah guardian and the hero, by surprise as it cackled wickedly.

"Getting you all into these caves was so simple!" the voice that both Link and Impa knew belonged to the dark wizard that had been leading the strike on Hyrule Field said smugly from his unseen position. "Now they shall become your tomb!"

A sudden rumble sounded throughout the caverns, and no one even needed to look to see that the way to the final exit of the caves had been blocked off. Impa huffed a sigh of aggravation, knowing that certainly the meddlesome wizard would need to be dealt with if they ever hoped to make it out alive. But for now, she could not worry herself with that; she had a plan to carry out first.

A small smile of relief claimed the Sheikah leader's face as her and her troops approached the entry keep, seeing that a group of Gorons were arriving there exactly as planned. Impa had made arrangements early on for the Gorons to give them backup if needed, and sure enough, the rock-solid warriors had appeared right on schedule, when the Hylian forces needed them most.

"You've made it right on time," Impa said with a nod of gratitude to the Goron captain as she entered the keep. "Allow me to cut to the chase. Knowing your people's expertise with explosives, I trust that you would have something big enough to take down an impressively-sized piece of rock, right?"

"Sure!" the Goron captain chimed heartily, motioning to a large, blue and yellow mouse-like device towards the back of the keep, being led in by a few other Gorons. "No rock out there is a match for a good ol' Bombchu! And just for our good Hylian friends, this one's on us!"

With a nod, the Goron captain set the Bombchu in motion as it rolled forward, its path set towards the northward spire. "Thank you," Impa said, giving a small bow of thanks. "I don't know what we would have done without your aid. Now we can fall back to the north and let that Bombchu do the heavy work. Let's go!"

With a morale-raising cheer, Impa and her soldiers hurried up towards the north, carefully guarding the Bombchu against enemy attacks along the way, lest it explode prematurely.

"Destroy that eyesore of a rat!" the wizard's angry voice commanded the enemy forces. "Show these fools the depths of despair!" Even despite his disparaging words, Impa continued to pay him no mind as she remained as focused on her mission as ever.

When the Sheikah leader and her task force returned to the the juncture that the rest of the troops were still stuck at with the Bombchu in tow, they found them in dire straits; the soldiers were quickly starting to tire themselves out, including Link, though the hero was resolved to fight through it. Many of the men had even collapsed out of heat exhaustion or injury, and the stalchildren were still pressing them as aggressively as before. It was certainly a blessing from the goddesses themselves when the tiring soldiers heard Impa shout a firm command to them to clear out of the area and allow the Bombchu to do its work. And sure enough, it did; the mobile explosive came to a halt right in front of the spire, and no more than a second later, it detonated, taking both the giant slab of stone and all of the nearby enemies out with it.

"Head for the exit!" one of the commanders shouted once the way was finally free of lava. "Like we've been trying to do this whole time!"

The soldiers heeded this command as they went on ahead, but before Impa began to follow them, she took a glance over at Link, noticing the clear exhaustion on his expression. She was quick to stop him before he could blindly rush on, knowing that he was far more winded than even most of the other soldiers. "Link, what did I say before?" the Sheikah guardian asked, a hint of chastising in her tone. "Don't overexert yourself. You're not the only solider here. Stop acting like it."

"But… Lady Impa… I'm not..." the hero struggled to say between his shallow, lost breaths, the strain of both the heat and the battle clearly taking its toll on him.

"You are," Impa scolded, clear aggravation with him in her tone. She understood that he was new at this, but that was no excuse for the kind of foolhardy extravagance in his fighting he was showing. "Clearly, you are still quite under experienced and you have a lot to learn, but it's too late for you to go back to the training yard you're used to now. You're second general; these men look to you for leadership now. You can't be showing them this sort of example. I expect more intelligence and care and less useless waste in the future, understand?"

Link said nothing as he merely cast a glare to the ground, feeling belittled and insulted by her harsh words. While it was true that he had been overexerting himself and using up too much of his waning energy, he was only doing it to ensure that everyone would make it out of the caves safely. He wasn't trying to be extravagant or selfish as the Sheikah leader was implying. He was only working as hard as he could for the good of everyone else around him, just like she was. But, he knew that it was certainly not his place to correct her. After all, even though he was second-in-command of the army now, Impa was still above him, and he still trusted that even though her words were biting and cold, they ultimately meant well.

"Do my words anger you, Link?" Impa asked with a hint of challenge in her tone as she crossed her arms and looked him up and down. "Do my words sting? Let them. You must understand that this is a war, and in a war, you must act with both intention and precision. Every ounce of your energy must be spent effectively, otherwise you will fall." At this, the Sheikah guardian's stern expression finally softened as she placed a hand on the hero's shoulder and handed him her full canteen of water, which he took and drank from gratefully to rehydrate. "I hope you know that I'm not trying to denounce your efforts, Link," she said with a sigh. "I just want you to learn that this is what a real battle is like and there's no better way to learn than through experience. And I also want everyone to get those these nightmarish caves alive, including you, got it?"

Link nodded respectfully as he gave Impa her canteen back, feeling a bit more energized for the path ahead now that he had a chance to take a brief breather. "Yes," he said, preparing to move ahead with her. "Thank you, Lady Impa. I'll be more careful next time."

"I trust that you will," Impa said with satisfaction. "And enough of that 'lady' nonsense. You don't see me going around calling you 'general', now do you?"

The hero couldn't help but smile along with the Sheikah leader at this, realizing that the respect that he had for her was actually returned, even despite the chastising that she had just given him. As amazing as it was for Link to believe, Impa, the honored and esteemed general of the army and second hand to Princess Zelda herself had trusted him enough to appoint him to the high position of second general. And that was the sort of trust that the young hero was not about to disappoint.

Link and Impa were quick to catch up with the other soldiers, still heading to the north with the hopes of getting into the cooler mining tunnels. However, as they both led their troops into the nearest keep, they were both stopped in their tracks by a new wave of monsters heading their way. The poes and stalchildren crept towards them at a slow pace, but their blood thirsty intent was clear. The hero was quick to draw his sword and, remembering what he had just been told, backed up and waited instead of making the first strike, something the Sheikah guardian did as well as she kept her hand carefully on the hilt of her blade. The two generals soon found themselves both back-to-back and surrounded by foes on all sides, their large numbers seeming to never let up. A fight was clearly about to ensure, but how much more the Hylian soldiers could take was uncertain.

However, before their side could attack, a sudden, unexpected sound echoed throughout the caves from nearby. The sound of a light, gentle song being played on harp strings.

Confused, both Link and Impa glanced around the area, wondering where the source of this strange music could be coming from, until the hero was the first to spot it. Standing atop a large rock formation to their left was a young woman, although her unpronounced figure and clothing made her gender slightly more vague. In her hands she had the harp, the source of the music, poised as she continued to play her song with skillful, bandaged fingers. She was thin and lithe, her facial features mostly obscured by the white cloth covering everything up to the bridge of her nose. Blonde hair peeked out from underneath the while turban she wore atop her head, and from behind came a long braid wrapped in white bandages. She wore sturdy armor, including small shoulder pads, upper arm guards, backhand guards, fingerless gloves and black shin guards, and attached to her thighs on each side were duel kunais. However, what struck both Link and Impa the most upon a first glance about this young woman was both the fact that her one eye that was not obscured by her hair was a sharp, piercing crimson, and that upon her chest plate she bore the timeless red Sheikah emblem, something that the Sheikah guardian wore proudly on her breastplate as well.

Finally finished with her song, the young woman leapt from her perch with agility and landed squarely within the keep, instantly strumming her harp once more. This time however, instead of a mere song, waves of light also emitted from the golden instrument, and as they collided with the nearby stalchildren, the monsters were nearly sliced in half, obliterated and defeated in one fell swoop.

The entirety of the Hylian forces, including both generals, turned to look at this young woman with awe, wondering who in the world she could be and where she came from. "The princess isn't dead," the young woman said in a smooth, calming voice as she began to step towards Link and Impa. "You'll reunite with her at some point during your journey, but not quite yet…"

"How do you know that?" Impa asked as she looked the young woman up and down suspiciously. "And who are you?"

"You can call me… Sheik," the young woman said, her tone still unreadable.

"Sheik?" Link repeated, also examining this mysterious warrior who had seemed to come out of thin air.

"It's a name that comes from the Sheikah tribe…" Sheik explained. "They were servants of the Hyrulian Royal Family."

"The Sheikah tribe?" Impa asked in disbelief, knowing that there were few survivors left in her tribe, and that she had certainly never seen this young woman among her remaining people. "But that's impossible…"

Before Sheik could explain herself further, however, a sudden rumble reverberated throughout the caves, either a sign of volcanic activity or of oncoming foes. Either or, none of the Hylian soldiers were too keen on sticking around to find out. "We can talk more once we get out of these caves," Sheik said with resolve. "For now, let me join you!"

"Wait!" Impa said, before anyone could move an inch. "Why should we trust you? We don't even know you!"

"Because I saved you," the Sheikah warrior said with patience, holding her harp close to her in preparation for battle. "If I was your enemy, then certainly, I would have let you perish, wouldn't I have?"

"She's got a point," Link said to Impa, having no reservations about letting Sheik join them. After all, each hand fighting meant one less dying as far as the hero was concerned. But still, the Sheikah guardian was suspicious of this strange young woman, apparently trying to pass herself off as a member of her tribe. Impa wasn't sure if trusting Sheik was the wisest course of action in the long run, but she relented for the moment, knowing that above else, everyone's priority had to be getting out of the caves.

"Alright," she said stoutly, leading the charge onward towards the tunnels. "Let's move!"

The Hylian forces were quick to move out as they entered into the significantly cooler tunnels. While the stone walls were mined with beautiful blue crystals of all sizes, there was no time to admire their natural wonder. The wizard had already ordered more monsters onto the battlefield and already they were starting to beset the allied troops aggressively. Impa, still as levelheaded as ever, even despite her misgivings about their mysterious new ally, led the way this time, plowing through the stalchildren with both her giant blade and her Sheikah water magic. Sheik and Link weren't too far behind, fighting with just as much resolve and passion. The hero continued to charge is sword through any monster that blocked his path, while the Sheikah warrior used an interesting mix of martial arts, her kunais, and the magical music that her harp provided to easily ware the enemy forces thin. Both Link and Impa could tell that Sheik was a skilled fighter; her speed and accuracy unmatched and her attacks were solid and strong. Each one of the tunes she played seemed to have some sort of elemental affect, and many of them Impa recognized as melodies passed down by the Sheikah tribe, though where Sheik might of picked them up, she had no idea. Perhaps this young woman really was a Sheikah, though Impa still didn't want to believe it with so little information to go off of.

As Sheik quickly strummed a tune known as the Bolero of Fire, she summoned a fireball out of nowhere to singe their nearby enemies and let out a small breath of exasperation, noticing that Link was watching her a few feet away, clearly impressed and confused. "They're really getting fierce, aren't they?" she said, giving him a small grin though he couldn't see it because of her face coverings. "C'mon. We've got to keep moving."

The Sheikah warrior began to run on ahead and the hero followed her, but his curiosity was too peaked not to question her. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?" he asked her, running alongside her all the while.

"The art of utilizing combat magic through music is an art well known to my tribe," Sheik answered as she tossed her kunai ahead into the skull of a nearby Stalfos.

"_Your _tribe," Impa scoffed under her breath, having overheard the conversation as she led the way into the northeast portion of the caves.

"Wow," Link said with a duly impressed grin, having not heard Impa's derivative comment as Sheik had. "That's amazing."

"Thank you, Link," Sheik said with a humble nod of her head.

"Wait…" the hero said, his smile fading into confusion. "We just met… How do you know my name?"

The Sheikah warrior hesitated for a second in answering, but before she even could, a sudden rumble echoed from behind the Hylian forces. The gateway to the first half of the caves suddenly slammed shut, trapping the troops within the mining tunnels with all of the monstrous forces.

The wizard chuckled malevolently once more, his voice sounding out throughout the cave walls. "Now they have nowhere to run!" he shouted to the monsters under his command. "Crush them! Beat them! Grind them to dust!"

Once more, the seemingly endless legions of stalchildren began rushing towards the tiring Hylian troops, meaning that they had to fight with everything they had just to survive. "Enemies are coming out from all over!" Proxi shouted warningly to Link. "Maybe the Spirit of the Caves is in there… I bet if we were to defeat the spirit, it would slow the flow of monsters!"

"What's the Spirit of the Caves?" the hero asked the fairy in confusion.

"It's a ghost that's said to live in the deepest parts of the Eldin Caves," Proxi said, making use of the wellspring of knowledge that most fairies were said to have. "It looks just like a poe, only much bigger. Maybe the wizard's using it to control the monsters!"

"We need to find a poe called the Spirit of the Caves and get rid of it," Link said to both Sheik and Impa, translating Proxi's findings for them.

"Ah, yes," Sheik mused, having heard the legends of this ghost before. "The Spirit of the Eldin Caves… Defeating it might just open up the exit… We should check for it in the deepest tunnels."

"Alright," Impa said in agreement with this plan. "I'll stay here with the troops and guard them while you to go search for that spirit. And hurry it up! Many of them are starting to reach their limit!"

Link and Sheik nodded in compliance as they headed off into the tunnels together. The further they got into the mazelike corridors, the less cluttered with monsters it was, making their travels much easier. They decided against splitting up, lest they not be able to find their way back to Impa and the Hylian troops. They both ran quickly, not taking any time to converse as they rushed to the heart of the caverns, and sure enough, waiting there for them was a rather large poe, which Proxi confirmed to be the Spirit of the Caves itself.

It attacked much like a normal poe did, with bursts of violet flame and elusive disappearing defenses. However, also like every other poe, it was still susceptible to the same attacks. Sheik utilized the magic of a song she called the Prelude of Light, which blinded the ghost enough for Link to get a few swipes in with ease. However, as the spirit began to regain its vision, it attacked wildly, sending out several uncalculated flames, one that managed to catch Sheik on her shoulder and another that hit Link squarely in his leg. Naturally, the hero panicked as the fire began to burn though his clothes, but the Sheikah warrior was quick to use her harp to remedy the situation. Grabbing Link roughly by the arm, she hurriedly strummed a song called the Serenade of Water, which created a large whirlpool of water that not only doused them both and put out the flames, but it also drowned the spirit into submission and defeat.

"Thanks," the hero said, breathing in a sigh of relief as he realized how refreshing the cool water she had soaked them both with was.

"Don't mention it," Sheik said, giving him a small wink as the large doors in front of them cracked open, revealing a path ahead. Already the Hylian troops were on their way to catch up with them, and so the Sheikah leader and the hero decided to led the way. "Now come on! The end is in sight! We'll be out of these caves in no time!"

"Right," Link nodded as he followed after her, having no distrust towards her like Impa seemed to. After all, there was no reason not to trust Sheik; she had already proven her usefulness in this battle and then some. Clearly, she was a worthy ally.

At last the Hylian troops had reached the southeastern end of the caves, meaning that the end was in sight, though it was still blocked off and that path ahead was still filled with monsters. However, exhaustion was clearly mounting upon the Hyrulian forces, and it was becoming quickly obvious to Link, Impa and Sheik that they couldn't take much more of this intense heat, mixed with this seemingly never ending fight.

However, before the troops could start making a direct advance towards the exit, the wizard's aggravated growl sounded from quite close this time, giving everyone the impression that he was closer than he seemed. "What a bunch of pests!" he hissed angrily. "I guess I'll just have to come out and deal with you all myself!"

No more than a second later, the dark wizard himself appeared, rising out of the ground with a cackling laugh as his glowing red eye glared at the trio leading the army.

"You!" Impa shouted angrily, gripping the hilt of her sheathed blade tightly. "I've had just about enough of your tricks! Tell us where the princess is or else!"

The wizard simply laughed mockingly, which was only fueling the fires of the Sheikah guardian's frustration. "Please, call me Wizzro," he said, finally revealing his name. "And as for the princess… well isn't that the question of the century? Just like you, my mistress is also looking for her, but not for the sake of capturing her. Killing her will certainly suffice…"

"Who's your mistress?" Link demanded, holding his sword aloft in preparation to attack.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"Wizzro mocked. "But I'm sure that you'll be meeting her soon enough. After all, she won't shut up about how she's just _dying _to meet you, _hero_..."

"Enough!" Impa cut in, her red eyes fierce and heated. "I'm tired of you toying with us! Call your forces off and let us pass, otherwise I'll take you on myself!"

The dark wizard simply guffawed once more, not taking her threat seriously. "I'd like to see you try!"

The Sheikah guardian's grip on her blade tightened even more upon hearing this. "Fall back," she commanded rigidly to both Link and Sheik. "I've got this one."

"Are you sure, Impa?" the hero asked with concern, though he didn't doubt that the skilled Sheikah guardian could handle a foe such as this.

"Yes," she said firmly, and both Link and Sheik, along with the rest of the troops, were quick to follow her command, knowing that it was unwise to disobey her when she was this angry. Impa and Wizzro circled one another for a few tense moments, but ultimately, the dark wizard was the first one to strike, sending out a burst of violet flame that the Sheikah guardian was quick to dodge. Even despite her apparent fury, Impa did a good job of keeping her cool in the heat of battle as she maneuvered her way out of the path of even more attacks, every eye in the crowd of Hylian soldiers watching their general and respecting her clear, finely honed skill. When Wizzro finally relented, the Sheikah guardian took her opportunity; slipping her huge blade out of its sheath as though it were nothing, Impa cleaved into the dark wizard, not defeating him, but definitely pushing him back. She scarcely gave him a chance to recover as she summoned some of her magic down in the form of arrows composed of water, which rained down upon him relentlessly. Wizzro cred out in pain and frustration, sending another dark burst of magic the Sheikah guardian's way, but it was too late; she had already gained the upper hand. Preforming a swift slice, Impa used some of her magic to keep the wizard suspended in their air in paralysis after she cut him, and, as she clicked her heavy blade into its sheath, it somehow landed a critical blow upon her foe, knocking him to the ground in defeat.

The Hylian soldiers cheered in support of their general's victory and Impa merely smirked in satisfaction, placing her hands on her hips and standing tall before her troops. The dark wizard had put her soldiers in grave dangers by trapping them in these deadly caverns, but the Sheikah guardian was resilient, and was willing to do whatever it took to not only find the princess, but also keep her men safe no matter what the cost. And she made sure that every foe she encountered that dared to cross her knew that.

A moment or two later, Wizzro shakily picked himself up off the ground, battered and weakened, but not taken out entirely. "This… isn't over!" he screeched angrily. "None of you will be able to stop my mistress's plans in the end! You'll see!" With another sinister laugh, the dark wizard used his magic to sink into the ground, teleporting out of the caves and taking his legions of foes with him. The nearby doors to the exit of the caves finally rumbled open, revealing the fresh, cool air of the outdoors at long last.

"Finally!" Link exclaimed in relief as him and Sheik started for the exit, with Impa bringing up the rear to ensure that everyone made it out. In less than a few minutes, the entirety of the Hyrulian forces had passed out of the caves and into a small, lightly wooded valley. A small stream ran through it and most of the soldiers thirstily partook of its pure, cool waters as they recuperated from the heat and began to set up camp for the night, knowing that they would reach Faron in the morning.

"Well done, everyone," Impa said with a pleased grin. "Glad to see that most of us were able to make it out."

"We owe it all to your efforts, Lady Impa," Sheik said with a respectful bow as the troops all dispersed, leaving only the hero and the two Sheikah women standing near the cave's exit. "Your skill and leadership on the battlefield is quite admirable."

Impa's smile faded as she looked towards the Sheikah warrior, glaring at her suspiciously. "Alight, we're out," she said, crossing her arms and frowning. "Now, it's time for answers. Who are you anyway and where did you come from?"

"I told you," Sheik said calmly, strumming a few casual notes on her harp. "I am a descendant of the Sheikah tribe, just as you are."

"You can't be," Impa said warily. "There are hardly any survivors of my tribe left. Certainly I would have heard about you before if you really were a Sheikah."

Sheik was silent for a moment, giving the Sheikah guardian an unreadable look. "You do not trust me," she mused with little emotion.

"Well it's kind of hard to, considering the fact that you came out of nowhere," Impa said harshly.

"Lady Impa, you will find in our travels together that I am certainly one to be trusted," the Sheikah warrior said easily. "I mean you and your troops no ill will. In fact, my sole intent is to help you locate the source of the darkness that is plaguing Hyrule and bring it down, so that we may restore peace."

"So you say," the Sheikah guardian said dismissively as she turned to walk away, clearly done with this conversation as her caution and distrust were still set in stone. "But I've come to learn that you can never trust words. My main concern at the moment is finding Princess Zelda and returning her to safety. As far as I'm concerned, everything else can wait."

With that said, Impa abruptly turned on her heel and headed off into camp, her mind still swimming in confusion and misgivings about the strange Sheikah warrior. Sheik merely sighed in disappointment as she watched the Sheikah guardian leave, wishing she would understand.

"Don't worry," Link said, giving Sheik a small smile of encouragement as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "She's a little tough some times, but I'm sure she'll come around to you eventually."

The Sheikah warrior turned to face the hero, giving him a piercing, almost examining gaze with her rose-red eye. "Do _you _trust me, Link?" she asked, her voice still devoid of most emotion.

"Well… yeah," the hero said with a shrug. "I don't see why I shouldn't. After all, why else would you have helped us like you did?"

Link gave her a small smile to show that he was sincere, and even though he couldn't see it, Sheik returned it, her heart warmed by the sentiment. "Thank you," she said softly, a hint of gratitude and respect in her otherwise stoic tone. "Thank you for your trust…"

* * *

**Such a long, detailed chapter! But now we got Sheik along for the ride! She's one of my favorite characters to play as in HW, mostly for her speed and power! Gotta love epic Sheikah ladies (of which this chapter was full of!) Next time around, we'll be heading to Faron Woods and meeting Lana of course, and so I'm excited about that! But for now, I must be off! Don't forget to REVIEW (let's see if we can bump this baby over 100!) Until next time!**


	6. Sorceress of the Woods

_Ok, so this chapter was originally going to cover the entire Faron Woods stage, but I decided to split it up because sure. Anyway, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited and a HUGE thank you to all 112 of you who have reviews! I really am amazed at how successful this story has become, especially since I never thought it really would be! Just for your info, its actually the #1 highest rated Hyrule Warriors based fic in the entire zelda tag! I can't believe it! Thanks so much guys! You're the fuel that keeps the fire of this story going! So with that said, let's get onto the reviews!_

_**UnNaturally Me**: Aw... thanks so much! (and yes, Skyward Sword ref for the win!)_

_**skyhopper**: Hahaha, well we'll see in this chapter how I plan on introducing Lana, as well as her lil crush on Link... ;)_

_**Pikatwig**: Well, its my understanding that Sheik is a girl in the game, so... Anyway, glad that I'm going a good job of explaining things and yeah, there's a short little scene before we get to Faron, so I hope you'll enjoy it!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Thanks! And I already have! :D_

_**Jack**: Yeah, I know, but I'm not really sticking to the character entrances exactly, since they'd be a little tedious I think... but whatever :)_

_**RandomButLoved**: Thanks! Glad you caught the SS ref! ;D And I'm also glad that you're noticing little characterizations that I've been doing, of which I believe this chapter is just full of! :D And while this chapter has Lana in it, I absolutely can't WAIT until we get to Cia (I already have her entire character planned out hahaha!)_

_**Ezakiel**: The Spirit of the Caves actually was in this part of the game and its my understanding that it barred progress in the caves or sent out more monsters or something like that. I would guess that Cia or Wizzro or someone recruited it to their side with magic or something, but who knows. It was a minor detail really. And yes, I do plan on explaining Sheik's presence much better, since I also didn't really get why Zelda found it necessary to disguise herself either (though I do have a theory, which I will incorporate here!)And as for the harp... I think that's really the last thing on Impa's mind right now, what with all the stress of trying to find Zelda and everything. And I'm sure that Zelda's not the only person in the world with a harp that might look like that, so... And yes, I'm looking forward to Lana's entrance in this chapter too! I plan on giving her a much larger role than the game had for her, since her character is so important to the plot after all. And as far as the action goes, I think I'm good for now, but thanks for asking. Its not that I have anything against you, its just that my biggest focus here is more on the emotions and character building more than anything else (though action is still important). But thanks anyway! :D_

_**gandalf42**: Nice! I also can't wait to write Link's reaction to Cia, especially considering the fact that for the most part Link is a pretty humble guy so probably seeing a woman with a crazy stalker crush on him would probably freak him out a little hahaha ;D And yes, Ghirahim is a creeper in SS and he'll still be a creeper here lol! And indeed, Lana is here! :D_

_**Sigma73**: Aw, thanks a ton! *blushes* And yeah, the thing with Volga was a typo, one that I should probably go back and fix hahaha... :P and yeah, I'm actually using both the fire rod and the naginata in this chapter (irony!)_

_**R-king93**: Good! :D_

_**mysteryfriend16**: Well, here they both are! :D_

_**Skydragon74193**: Thank you!_

_**mega-dark**: Eh, Eldin Caves weren't so bad for me (the stage that gave me tons of problems was Death Mountain actually) And as for the Hylian forces not finding Cia in Lanayru valley, she wasn't actually there at that point, but rather at her main base in the Palace of Souls, so yeah. And yeah, that tension will be pretty awkward later on when Zelda comes back... hehehe... I personally think Lana is an awesome character, who is an absolute blast to play as! :D And I loved ur Sony E3 ref hahahah!_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, Sheik is actually going to have several slip ups that hint at her true identity, but no one will really notice them... ;P As far as the split goes, I'd like to keep it under wraps for now, if that's alright, mostly since I'm still in the process of figuring everything out myself... ;)_

_**silverhawk88**: Hahaha, yeah, the game wasn't very discreet about Sheik's identity either I think, but whatever. And I'm glad to see you're still reading! :D_

_**Itherael**: Thanks!_

_**tAll3Shyguy Skull Land**: Thank you! Its nice to see that I'm getting some pub on Tumblr, but if I may ask, was it through a reblog or was it because of the promotion I've done for it on my own blog...? (Im just kinda curious ;D _

_**ultimateCC**: I think she was blushing too hahahah... ;) _

_**DarthPheonixFire**: Yeah, I kinda dislike Wizzro, but I do plan on making him more interesting, and hopefully this chapter will show a little of that_

_**GO ZeldaXLink**: I totally will!_

_**Lovely girl 10**: Thanks so much!_

_Wooo... So many reviews... But I never tire out on replying to them for you guys! Now let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 5: Sorceress of the Woods_

The sun was blocked off by clouds once again as the Hylian forces marched steadily along the path that led to Faron Woods the next morning, keeping on guard for monsters, which they fortunately found relatively few of. Impa led the way at the front of the pack, her expression conveying her aggravation well. So far there had been no signs of the princess as they traveled deeper into the woods, but instead they had been joined by an ally that the Sheikah guardian believed they did not need and whom she certainly didn't want. Ever since they had encountered Sheik in the caves, Impa had a bad feeling about her, as if something was off about the Sheikah warrior. Of course, Link seemed to trust her openly, but the Sheikah guardian had not scolded him for it yet since he was still fresh when it came to warfare. But all the same, Impa was resolved to keep a close eye on Sheik; after all, the last thing she needed to deal with now was any sort of spy or traitor amidst their ranks.

As they headed closer to the forest, Impa couldn't help but overhear the mostly casual conversation between Link and Sheik that was going on behind her. It was clear that the naturally-curious hero was trying to chat the enigmatic Sheikah warrior up, but she didn't seem to be revealing too much about herself, something that gave the Sheikah guardian more reason to be suspicious about her.

"So, why do you keep your face covered?" Link asked her, though he wasn't meaning to pry if it was for personal reasons.

"Because I believe that a person's face does not always have to be seen," Sheik said vaguely, her tone still largely monotone.

"I don't understand," the hero frowned, wishing that she was more straightforward. "Are you trying to hide something?" he asked, not with suspicion, but instead with wonder.

"If I was trying to hide something, then I would not have told you anything about myself," the Sheikah warrior said cryptically. "But I told you both my name and my race. What else might you want to know?"

"A person's name and race is hardly anything to go by," Link said, wondering what reason Sheik had for being so mysterious in the first place. However, before he could ask her anything else, the Sheikah leader quieted him, something that caught Impa's attention as well.

"Listen," she said softly, her crimson eye narrowing as the subtle sounds of battle became apparent from nearby. "Do you hear that?"

Both the Sheikah guardian and the hero nodded frowned and nodded, the shrieks of monsters growing more and more apparent as they got closer to the entrance of Faron Woods itself. "Looks like they have a foothold here too," Impa said, referring to the enemy monsters that they had been encountering along this entire journey. "Come on," she ordered to the rest of the troops firmly. "Keep a close eye out for the princess! She could be closer than we know…"

* * *

A small village was tucked away inside of the deepest depths of Faron Woods, and very few knew of its existence. It was a rather primitive place, its dwellings being composed of nothing more than the wood of the forest itself. However, this otherwise reclusive, peaceful place was certainly anything but now, as hordes of bulbins and gibdos beset it, causing havoc all over. The inhabitants of the village had already fled for safer parts, but they all still feared for their endangered home. What few of them knew however was that there was a force, however small, of soldiers fighting to save it from its invaders, a resistance that had been working across those parts for the past several weeks to free it from the monsters attacking the land.

The unfolding battle between this resistance and the monsters was what the Hylian forces arrived in the hidden village to find. Without question, this had to be the group of freedom fighters that they had heard about through various rumors, meaning that their leader, a young woman that Impa hoped was Zelda, would certainly be among them. But as the Hylian troops ventured onto the battlefield and began aiding in the fight, Link, Impa and Sheik found no signs of the princess anywhere at all.

However, as they glanced around the area and began to fight off the bulbin forces, the three of them couldn't help but notice a sudden burst of blue, electric magic surging throughout the area several feet away from them, taking out several monsters at once. Though none of them stopped fighting, the hero and the two Sheikahs watched as a young woman dropped down onto the battlefield from above, and the moment they saw her, their hearts equally sank.

Indeed, this young girl was not the missing princess. She was of a slender, wispy build and of an average height and she had long, light blue hair which was tied up into a pony tail at the side of her head by a violet clip. She wore a purple, midriff bearing top and from the mantle on her right shoulder extended flowing white fabric to go with her long sleeves, and underneath her somewhat short purple and white skirt were white leggings accentuated with golden designs, which went into her violet boots. The girl's eyes were also violet, and they were noticeable large and expressive along with the rest of her rather pretty, youthful features. As she dropped down into the battlefield, she held a thick brown tome close to her chest as she rushed towards a fallen soldier, looking over his injuries with concern before another sight caught her attention.

The hero tore his blade through a number of nearby bulbins, cutting them down with obvious ease. The young girl watched him carefully for a moment, almost entranced by how much skill and valor he wielded into battle, until one of the monsters he slayed landed dead right beside her, reminding her of what was going on around her.

"You…" she said softly to the hero as he approached her, her voice youthful and lovely to match her appearance.

"Who are you?" Link asked curiously as he sheathed his sword now that the monsters were gone.

The girl blinked her slight awe away for a moment or two before she smiled softy at him. "I'm Lana," she said brightly. "It's nice to meet you, Link…"

"How do you know me?" the hero asked, wondering how so many people knew his name before he even had the chance to introduce himself.

"Well…" Lana said with a bit of awkward hesitation. "Let's just say I've heard a little about you and your friends…"

Before Link could ask this mysterious young woman anything else, Sheik and Impa joined him, having finished their own respective battles. "Are you the one leading these warriors?" the Sheikah guardian asked the young woman, eyeing her up and down carefully.

The soldier that Lana was tending to rose as another knight helped him get to safety, freeing her to stand and address them properly. "Yes, I am," she said with a firm nod.

"You can use magic," Impa mused, noting how the girl had used cleared out the nearby earlier. "Where did you learn your craft?" she asked, knowing that spell-casters outside of the Sheikah or the royal family were rare to find in their current day and age.

"Oh, well… I'm a sorceress," Lana informed, nodding down to her magical book, the Tome of Spirits. "You know the one who started this war? Cia? We come from the same magical clan."

"Ah, well that explains it," Sheik said, nodding in understanding.

"And what does this 'Cia' want from Hyrule?" Impa asked, realizing that whoever this Cia person was, she had to be their main enemy if she was the one responsible for this sudden outbreak of monsters.

"You really want to know?" Lana asked, holding her book close to her as she smiled mysteriously. "Well… Why don't you all help me defend the forest? If you do that, then I might tell you…"

Confused by this sudden request and the mystery that this young woman was showing, Link, Impa and Sheik all gave each other wondering glances. However, before any of them could say anything else, the sounds of battle emerged from the deeper parts of the woods, catching Lana's attention instantly. Her coy smile faded as she quickly turned around to head back into the fray. "Well, come on!" she shouted to the trio energetically. "There's no time to waste! Let's get to it!"

The three of them didn't argue with her there. After all, even if they had not found Zelda, they now had a lead as to who was responsible for these attacks, and that was something they were not about to let go of. And besides, the forest certainly needed all the help it could get. The last thing any of them were willing to do was turn a blind eye to its desperate plight.

Both the Hylian troops and all of Lana's troops that were nearby immediately set out from the west, hoping to take care of the source of the threat plaguing the forest. Already a group of bulbins was rushing for them as the different forces began to split up to defend different parts of the forest, though Link, Impa, Sheik and Lana remained relatively close for the time being. And, fortunately, they didn't have to guess too much as to who was the leader of the dark forces that they were already battling against.

"Scatter those Hyrulian pests!" Wizzro called out from the enemy keep to the north, though his cackling command echoed all throughout the woods. "Exterminate them!"

"Not him again…" the hero said in aggravation as he ran his blade through a bublin's stomach before moving onto the next kill.

"He sure does seem to get around…" Sheik mused as she played a melody known as the Requiem of Shadows, summoning a wave of darkness to take out her nearby foes.

"So that wizard's in charge, huh?" Lana said after creating a wall of magic energy, which she used to plow into a group of unprepared enemies. "I bet if we defeat him, these monsters will finally leave the forest alone!"

"I doubt he'll allow himself to be defeated so easily a second time…" Impa growled in annoyance. "He's turning into a real thorn in our sides."

Almost immediately after this exchange between the warriors, Wizzro shouted out to the Hylian troops once more, hoping to lower their morale as he carried out his newest devious plan. "Foolish little worms!" he scoffed at their efforts to clear out some of the nearby keeps that were filled with an assortment of his forces. "This'll teach you to interfere with my plans!"

As the allied troops continued to fight, they were all startled by the sudden rumbling of the earth, which was soon followed by multiple tall plants springing up from the wooded forest ground. However, unlike most plants, these seemed to be sentient, moving freely as they let out a strange purple substance from their maws. Sheik noticed how several of the soldiers near her cried out in pain and grew week upon being caught up in it, and she warily backed away from the creature, already knowing well what was happening.

"Why is that plant spewing poison into the surrounding area?" the Sheikah warrior asked as she tried to think of a way to get in close to it without touching the poison.

"That's a Deku Baba!" Lana exclaimed with a suspired gasp, knowing how dangerous such foes were. "Unless we can take it out with a sharp, ranged attack, everything in this forest will die of poisoning!"

"In that case, we'd better lend a hand," Impa said as she switched her giant blade out for the other weapon she made sure to always carry with her, a long naginata that she could harness Sheikah flame magic through. "We'll have to split up from here. There's about four of these things spread throughout this area, from what I can tell. Taking them out is our main priority right now."

"We'll need to hurry," the sorceress said worriedly as she glanced over at one of the Deku Babas, noticing how the cloud of poison surrounding it was already starting to expand. "If we don't then the whole forest could be covered in that stuff in a matter of minutes! Be careful everyone!"

At this, all four of them spread out on their own separate paths, with Sheik and Impa heading more towards the south and Link and Lana taking a more northern path. With the ranged, fiery attacks that her naginata allowed her, the Sheikah guardian was able to land a few hits on the Deku Baba that she had decided to engage, but as the poison surrounding it grew, she found that it was getting harder and harder for her to land a hit on it lest she get caught up in the deadly substance. She glanced over a few feet to her right to see that Sheik was having much of the same problem, since all she really had in the way of ranged attacks were her kunais, which didn't do nearly as much damage as she hoped for.

"Poisonous weed…" the Sheikah warrior muttered under her breath in frustration before she called over to Impa. "My attacks have no effect. We need a new strategy…"

The Sheikah guardian said nothing in response, though she did nod in agreement nonetheless. Though they regretted it, they fell back, heading back to the starting clearing in the hopes of coming up with a proper attack plan. Meanwhile, the hero and the sorceress had reached the two Deku Babas to the north, where the poison had already been spread so thick that they couldn't get anywhere close to the plants.

"The poison's spreading too fast!" Link exclaimed as he took out a few nearby bulbins for good measure, though like Lana, he was doing his best to cautiously keep away from the cloud of poison that was quickly startng to encroach on them. "What should we do?"

The young sorceress bit her lip anxiously for a moment as she examined the Deku Babas, knowing full well that they were running out of time. "This might be a bit of a longshot…" she said hesitantly, though her spur of the moment plan was the best that she could come up with at a moment like this. "But it will have to work for now." Closing her eyes in concentration, Lana held her hands out in front of her as a bright red glow formed around them. Less than a moment later, a long rod with a glowing red orb at its end appeared in her hands, and she didn't hesitate to hold it out to the confused hero. "This is the fire rod, Link," she explained quickly, knowing they had no time to waste. "It has some long range attacks, and since Deku Babas are vulnerable to fire, it should be able to wear them down a little bit. While you take care of them, I'm going to try and find a bow that we can use to take them out for good. If I remember correctly, there should be one located somewhere south of the village."

Link sheathed his sword as he took the fire rod, examining it warily. "Ok, but how does this thing-" before he could finish asking, a sudden burst of flame shot from the orb at the tip of the rod, startling the hero. Fortunately, Lana had the wits about her to create a temporary barrier around herself to shield her from the flames before they quickly died out.

"Careful," she said with a small giggle. "It's a little touchy. For now, just try to aim for the Deku Babas and the rod should do the rest. Good luck, Link!" she called out before dashing off to the south in search of the bow she had talked about earlier.

After Lana left, Link looked down to the fire rod in his hands once more, still unsure of how its mysterious power worked. However, before he took the sorceress up on the advice she had given him, he glanced up at Proxi, who was flittering nearby at the ready as usual. "So, what do you think?" he asked the fairy, hoping that she knew more about this new weapon than he did.

"I'm sensing a lot of magical energy radiating from this thing," Proxi stated as she flew in closer to it, though she made sure to stay clear of its flame emitting tip. "Have you ever used something like this before?"

"No," the hero said with a frown. "But I guess the only thing I can do is listen to what Lana said and point it at these things."

The fairy nodded in agreement as they both turned towards the Deku Babas, making sure that they were still far enough away from the poison. "Yeah, but be careful," she cautioned. "Fire is a dangerous, unpredictable element. If you don't watch out, we won't have to worry about the whole forest being filled with poison 'cause I'll be burnt to the ground instead!"

Link heeded her words as he aimed the tip of the fire rod towards the nearest Deku Baba and, sure enough, a plume of fire shot out of it, cutting through the cloud of poison and landing a direct hit, despite the distance of several feet between them. The hero smiled in satisfaction as he sent out another fire blast, hitting the living plant once more as it recoiled in obvious pain, though it still wasn't enough to take the creature down. But nonetheless, he continued attacking, getting more and more used to his new weapon while the sorceress hunted down what they needed to take care of these pests for good.

And sure enough, Lana soon found what she was looking for. In order to stay clear of the creeping poison, the young sorceress had taken to the treetops, leaping gracefully from branch to branch as she made a beeline for the southern end of the forest. And it didn't take her too long to locate the item in question, locked safely away in a small chest in an abandoned keep. With a small smile, the girl descended back down to the earth and claimed the bow as her own, before quickly making her way back towards the others.

However, even despite the fiery attacks of both Impa's naginata and Link's fire rod, the hero and the two Sheikahs were quickly starting to find themselves in dire straits. The poison had quickly spread to the point that the only safe area was a small clearing near the entrance of the woods, where Link, Impa and Sheik had all managed to find themselves grouped towards. With each passing second, the deadly substance grew closer to them on all sides and there was little any of them could do to stop its advance. The trio stood back to back as they found that there was no way of escape, but even so, they continued to try and hit the monstrous plants with everything they had, even if they attacks were no longer reaching them anymore.

"Nothing's working!" Link shouted to Sheik and Impa as he gripped the fire rod even tighter, watching worriedly as the poison threatened to come onto them.

"Curse these infernal plants!" the Sheikah warrior growled in frustration, knowing that her musical magic could do nothing to weaken the Deku Babas at all. "They're just as stubborn as Wizzro himself!"

Impa glared at the Deku Babas, all of them wriggling off in the distance away from them, even though their poisonous influence had spread far. Already quite a few of her soldiers had fallen to the deadly cloud, and now it seemed as though the three of them were next. "Keep attacking!" she commanded the hero and the Sheikah warrior firmly, even though she knew it was pointless. "We can't fall here, not while Princess Zelda is still out there missing somewhere!"

Link and Sheik exchanged a brief, worried glance, but they both nodded nonetheless, even as the poison began to creep up towards their toes, giving the three of them no room left to move. As the violet cloud finally overtook them, they all began to cough roughly as the thick substance entered their lungs and seeped its way seamlessly into their skin like air. It quickly started to sap their energy away, numbing their senses and filling them with a heavy, laborious pain all at once. However, as the two Sheikah women finally collapsed to their knees, no longer able to stand amidst the cloud of poison that was starting to kill them, the hero remained standing nonetheless, even though it was incredibly difficult. And, though pain mounted each of his slow steps, he began to move towards the nearest Deku Baba, realizing that now that he was enclosed in its inescapable field of poison, there was only one thing he could do to keep himself and his comrades from dying, even though it was incredibly risky.

"Link!" Sheik coughed out roughly as she caught sight of him through the violet fog. "W-What are y-you doing!?"

Link didn't answer as he merely groaned out in pain, remembering what Impa had just said moments ago. They could not die now, not while Zelda was still missing and quite possibly in danger. "Link!" Proxi called out to the hero worriedly as she flittered just above the cloud of poison. "You need to stop! You're pushing yourself too hard!"

The hero merely shook his head as he came to stand right before the Deku Baba, his legs threatening to give up on him as his body began to shut down. But nonetheless, he refused to give up, no matter what the cost to himself was. If he could get rid of at least one of these beasts, then he could help his allies even in such a small way, which was worth it to him. He glared up at the monstrous plant, which had taken notice of his close proximity and appeared to be quite surprised that he had gotten in so close to it. But nonetheless, it let out a growling roar as it reared its head back, before it snapped its sharp-toothed maw towards Link, viewing him as a snack and little else. That is, until its mouth chomped down on the tip of the fire rod instead.

The Deku Baba let out an earsplitting screech as its entire form immediately caught fire, such a direct attack scorching it critically. Link continued to keep the fire rod held towards the creature, even though the edges of his vision were starting to grow dark and his body began to be seized by convulsions from the poison. Sheik and Impa merely watched him in shock as they felt their own bodies grow weaker, but all of the sudden, the murderous tendrils of poison suddenly began to dissipate, specifically the moment that the Deku Baba that the hero had attacked collapsed to the ground and withered away, finally taking its thick poison with it.

Unable to remain standing any longer, Link finally collapsed to the ground semi-consciously, his heart racing and his lungs crying for fresh air as he lay unable to move thanks to the paralyzing effect the poison had on him. A cloud of poison still hovered over Sheik and Impa, but only for a moment as the rest of the Deku Babas nearby were apparently taken out by some unseen force, much to their confusion. Though still quite weak, both Sheikahs were much better off in their condition than the hero, as the two of them were actually able to sit up and work on regaining their strength. As if on cue, Lana dropped down from her perch high in the trees with the bow on hand, looking around to make sure that she had taken care of all of the Deku Babas. "Woo," she sigh with a sigh as she helped both Sheik and Impa to their feet. "That was a close one. At least those poisonous plants are finally taken care of. What a relief!"

"T-thank you…" Impa said with sincere gratitude, though she was still trying to catch her breath. "If y-you had not come when you d-did, then we would have b-been dead for sure…"

"Don't mention it," the sorceress said with a humble smile. "Hey, wait a minute… Where's Link?"

Both Sheikahs nodded over in the hero's direction as he lay several feet away from them, still unmoving as he let out a soft, hoarse groan of agony. Lana gasped in shock as she quickly hurried over to him, placing an arm around him as she propped him up.

Link opened his eyes weakly as he let out a soft cough, his vision blurry and his body feeling as though he had been drowning for hours, even though he had only been subjected to the poison for a few minutes. "L-Lana?" he asked, his voice little more than a rough, small whisper.

Hearing him say her name in such a way made the sorceress's heart clench with pity and grief, as well as the slightest bit of terror and woe. And yet, she knew that now was not the moment for such thoughts as she placed a tender, albeit nervously shaking hand on his chest, biting her lip as she quieted him down. "Shh…" she said, her voice soft and comforting as a healing blue aura surrounded her hand. "It's ok… You're safe now… Unlike Sheik and Impa, the poison managed to get into your bloodstream, but I should be able to get it out since it's not too deep. Now just lay still and…" she trailed off as her hand took on a bright glow for a moment or two and the hero let out a sharp gasp of agony as his eyes grew wide for a second, before he wearily shut them again, his breathing shallow and shaking.

Lana's hand quickly flew off of his chest as she looked over him with wide lavender eyes, hoping that she had not done anything to hurt him even more. However, those concerns were quickly put behind her as Link opened his eyes once more, his breathing returning to normal as he attempted to sit up. The sorceress was quick to help him as he took in several deep breaths, before he finally regained enough of his energy to speak.

"Thanks…" the hero said, giving her a small smile, one that she returned with a soft blush lighting up her cheeks.

The two of them stood up together and rejoined Sheik and Impa, all of them taking note that the area was thankfully free of both poison and monsters. However, the poison had clearly taken quite a toll on all of the nearby allied troops, with many of them being adversely effected by it and some having even lost their lives to its influence, much to both Impa and Lana's displeasure. "Everyone's pretty tired…" Lana said with a worn sigh as she looked around the area. "We should retreat to the Deku Tree for a moment. It should be safe there, which will give us a chance to regroup and strategize."

Link, Sheik and Impa nodded in agreement with this plan as they gathered up the nearby troops and began to make their way towards the large Deku Tree in the center of the woods. As was to be expected, there were plenty of bulbins and gibdos lining the way there, but since Sheik and Impa had recuperated enough from the poison to fight, they took the lead and cut down most of these weaker foes with ease, while Lana stayed by Link, who was still somewhat weakened and ill, to ensure that he could make it there safely. Though the trail to the tree was winding and arduous, the allied troops eventually caught sight of its tall form, its large, hollowed out center standing out as a safe haven for them.

"We're almost there!" Lana exclaimed with a relieved smile. "Come on, everyone! Now we should have a little time to finally catch our breath before we head out again!"

However, what none of the Hylian forces could have seen was the single glowing eye watching them all from the shadows, waiting for them to finally make their approach on the Deku Tree so he could take them all out at once. And as they finally passed into the large threshold of the tree, the dark wizard finally decided to make its appearance.

Wizzro appeared in the very heart of the Deku Tree, right as the Hylian forces began to enter inside. Sheik, Impa, Link and Lana all immediately stopped in their tracks as they saw that the enemy commander had so easily invaded their base, but the wizard simply grinned wickedly at them as he let out a callous laugh. "So, you all decided to flee to this stumpy little bush, huh?" he asked darkly. "Too bad none of you will be able to get the rest that you all need so badly…"

"Get out of here!" Lana shouted angrily as he held her tome at the ready to attack. "The Deku Tree is sacred ground and you have no right to trespass on it!"

"You want me to leave?" Wizzro asked challengingly. "Go ahead and make me."

With another sinister chuckle, the dark wizard suddenly vanished into thin air, much to everyone's confusion, before he suddenly reappeared directly behind Link, startling the young hero by gripping both of his shoulders tightly.

"Aw, what's the matter, little hero…?" Wizzro whispered sadistically to the weakened hero. "Did the poison from my Deku Babas tire you out too much? Perhaps now would be the prefect chance to take you to my mistress… After all, she'd much prefer it if you were too _weak _to put up a fight…"

Link's grip on the fire rod tightened upon hearing this, a burst of anger rushing through him as the dark wizard coldly mocked him for something _he _had caused. If there was one thing the hero hated, it was being considered weak and insignificant, especially by his enemies. "Get off!" he shouted in fury as he roughly spun around, breaking the wizard's hold on him. As Link turned, he was quick to point the fire rod at Wizzro, but as the burst of flame came free from it, the elusive wizard disappeared once more, leaving the hero and all of his allies to watch in both horror and disbelief as the fire missed its target…

And exploded into the interior of the Deku Tree instead.

Panic filled the entirety of the Hylian troops as the fire quickly spread up through the tree, quickly creating a dangerous blaze. Already, Lana, Impa and Sheik were working to get everyone out safely, but all Link could do was stand numbly and watch in shock and guilt as the disaster he had unintentionally started grew widely out of control.

"Enjoy your little success, weasels!" Wizzro called out from nowhere to the scattered Hylian troops, his wicked laughter echoing throughout the burning tree as he reveled in his successful plan. "Because now, your spirits will be burned to ashes! And it's all thanks to your honorable little _hero…"_

* * *

**Well, I'll just leave you all on a cliffhanger, since things seem to be getting a little long here... Hahahaha... Hope that this chapter was sufficient for you all, even though I had wanted to write a little more, but at least I have some fuel in my for the next chapter, which will be basically more of the same, but its all good! :D Anyway, for now I encourage you all to show some love through REVIEWS as always. Until next time!**


	7. In the Greenwood

_Ok, so, this may have taken a while, but that's only really because I'm home for Thanksgiving break and writer's block has been hitting me hard, so, if this chapter is a bit lame, don't blame me! Also, Super Smash Bros is another amazing drain of time that has also barred me from writing! ahahahaha... ;D Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed/favorited! Now onto the reviews!_

_**Pikori78**: There might be a little fluff here! Who knows?! ;D_

_**Sigma73**: Well, I figured that Impa just has both in case she needs them. And yeah, Ghoma is in this chapter and even I gotta admit he's a bit of a pushover... hahaha ;D_

_**Nintendoman01**: Yeah and ahahaha yeah_

_**Zelink123**: Thanks so much! :D_

_**Itherael**: Thanks!_

_**explodingbunnies52**: Thanks! I will!_

_**Draconic**: I don't know if Saria or Malon might appear, but maybe? I haven't gotten everything figured out so I might be able to find a place for them (since they are two of my favorite characters in OoT!) And yeah, there's going to be more era jumping than in the game among different characters, but I can't say too much about it now! ;D_

_**Pikatwig**: I love Lana too and I would love to see her in a regular Zelda game! And yeah, you pretty much pegged exactly how things are going to go down in the aftermath of Link catching the tree on fire. ;D_

_**Legendoffun**: Thanks! I have to make things a little original after all!_

_**skyhopper**: Thanks! Glad you liked it!_

_**Ezakiel**: I don't know if I'll put any more Deku Babas in here, since I like to incorporatenew stuff with each chapter. And yeah, you'd think that the Hylian army would have some archers in there... Something to think about... And yeah, I think it was a little shortsighted of Lana to give Link the fire rod in a FOREST of all places (and the game even suggests you use the fire rod as the preferred weapon for this stage believe it or not!) And Lana's character will show herself more and more as we go along. Don't worry though, I don't end on too many cliffhangers, just enough to leave you wanting more! ;D _

_**RandomButLoved**: Yeah, Wizzro was a total jerk here and I hate to say that I'm only gonna put Link through more junk in this chapter too. And I think we'll even get to see a glimpse of Cia at the end of this chapter... And if I can find it, I'll to totally check out that writing thing you're talking about. After all, there's always room for improvement! _

_**gandalf42**: Yeah, Link should have been more careful! And as for Cia, we're gonna get a little glimpse of her at the end of this chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy it! And I could totally see a catfight breaking out between Zelda and Cia over Link! It would be hilarious! _

_**Flameshield**: Thanks! I just thought it was a nice change and you're right! It is sorta set up for how Link acts later on! Glad you noticed! ;D_

_**DarthPhoenixFire**: Indeed we do! :D And yeah I don't get why people hate Lana! She's awesome!_

_**Stylin80**: hahaha thanks!_

_**Book of untold stories**: Thanks!_

_**R-king 93**: Don't worry. I never lay the angst on THAT thick (at least I don't think so!)_

_**OkayDokay33**: You totally got what Lana was supposed to be feeling just right! I'm glad it was clear but not too obvious, since that's what I was going for! And yeah, I don't like it when things (even weapons) just come out of nowhere. Everything has an origin, so why not tell it? I'm also glad you noticed all of the character dynamics. I like to give everyone the chance to shine equally, and besides, flawed characters are always more interesting!_

_**ultimateCC**: I see what you did there... ;D _

_Ok, well with that all done, let's get started, shall we?_

* * *

_Chapter 6: In the Greenwood_

The flames filling the Deku tree were spreading at an alarming rate, filling the surrounding area with a thick cloud of smoke. Since a large majority of the Hylian troops had either been in or near the tree when the blaze began, they were in the midst of a panicked scramble now, most of them either trying to stay clear of the fire or trying to find a way to put it out. And yet, even despite all of the chaos raging around her, Impa remained as calm as she could as she shouted firm commands to her troops, though she really had no idea how to stop the inferno herself, as the nearest large water source was quite a ways away.

"Everyone stay clear of those flames!" the Sheikah guardian shouted, a cross expression on her face as she knew they had no time to deal with something like this. "I want a squadron on the hunt for that wizard immediately! The rest of us will stay here and figure out a way to quench this fire!"

Impa paused for a moment as the soldiers continued to run about, but as she noticed the hero run past her, her glare sharpened and she didn't hesitate to reprimand him for what he had just done. "Link!" she growled in fury, marching over to him as he tried to join with the group of soldiers that were heading for the stream. "What were you thinking?! You should know better than to use a dangerous weapon like that without the proper restraint!"

"Impa, I didn't mean to," Link protested in his own defense, even though he still felt incredibly guilty for what he had done. And yet, even despite his remorse, he had decided to resolve his mistake by working to fix it instead of simply moping about it. "I'm sorry. It was an accident."

"Accident or no, this is the second time that your haste and impulsiveness have put lives in danger," the Sheikah guardian said with a disappointed scowl. "You are a good fighter, Link. You're brave and strong. But you need to learn that in a battle you must not only attack, but also counter attack; wait and listen. It's not always all about the offensive, and you'd be wise to learn that."

Though the hero took her words to heart, he still couldn't help but feel belittled by them, knowing this was the second time she had scolded him for something that wasn't really his fault. After all, the only reason why the Deku Tree had caught fire was because he had been tricked by Wizzro, not because of his own shortcomings. And it seemed as though Lana agreed with him on this as she interjected into the conversation, taking a brief break from her attempts at putting the fire out.

"Impa, if you don't mind me saying so, this wasn't really Link's fault," the sorceress said with pity for the hero's plight and worry for the forest in general. "This happened because of Wizzro, which is why we have to stop him. But first, we need to find a way to douse this fire. We can't just let the Deku Tree burn! Now, what should we do…?"

"What we need is enough water to put it out all at once," Impa said, putting her aggravation with Link behind her for the moment to focus on the task at hand. "But finding that anywhere near here would take a miracle in and of itself…"

Both Link and Lana sighed as they realized the Sheikah guardian was right, which was only making this problem even more challenging. However, no more than a moment later, Proxi, having been struck with a sudden idea, flew down close to the hero, beating her tiny wings together in excitement. "Hey!" she exclaimed brightly. "I think I can feel the presence of a Great Fairy somewhere here in the woods! Maybe she can help us!"

Link nodded in agreement with this idea, remembering how the Great Fairy had greatly aided him and Zelda back in Hyrule Field several weeks ago, before relaying the fairy's words to the rest of the group. "We need to find a Great Fairy," he said as he made sure the fire rod was secured to his back as he took out his sword to utilize it instead, having learned his lesson about the potential dangers of the magical weapon. "There's one nearby and she might be able to help us if we ask her."

"Great idea, Link!" Lana said with renewed hope, a wide smile on her face. "You're right! If I remember correctly, there is a Fairy Fountain somewhere to the east of here! We need to hurry and talk to the Great Fairy, otherwise, we can kiss the Deku Tree goodbye!"

"Alright then," Impa said, her tone still serious and firm. "Let's move out!" The Sheikah guardian began to follow the sorceress as she began to lead the way to the eastern forest, but the hero lingered behind for a moment, taking a quick glance behind him at the Deku Tree as a sudden realization hit him.

"Wait!" Link called out to his two allies, who briefly stopped to face him, though neither of them realizing that they were forgetting something quite important. "Where's Sheik?"

Impa and Lana exchanged a brief glance, though the sorceress conveyed more worry for their missing ally than the Sheikah guardian did. "I haven't seen her since the fire started," Lana said with a concerned frown as she glanced towards the blazing tree.

"I saw her trying to get some soldiers out of the tree just a few minutes ago," Impa commented, the distaste and suspicion for the Sheikah warrior clear in her tone.

"She might still be in there then!" Proxi exclaimed to Link, who by now had turned to the Deku Tree fully.

"We have to go make sure she's ok," the hero said with resolve, hoping that Sheik was not in any danger and that no harm had come to her.

"There's no time!" the Sheikah guardian protested, knowing that going to look for her least favorite of their allies was the last priority she wanted to focus on at the moment. "If we don't put out the fire soon, the Deku Tree will burn to cinders!"

"We can't just leave her behind!" Link said, even though he knew he was in no place to stand up against Impa, especially after how he had let her down twice now. "What if she's hurt?"

"At a moment like this, the needs of the majority outweigh the needs of any one individual," Impa said coldly, sending him a sharp scarlet glare. "Now, come on. We need to get to that Fairy Fountain immediately."

Upon hearing this, the hero closed his eyes and clenched his fists at his sides, taking in a deep breath in anticipation of the reprimand he was about to receive after this. But all the same, he knew that he could not simply leave the Sheikah warrior, or anyone else for that matter, to die in the blazing inferno that he had unintentionally caused. "I'm sorry, Impa," he said with sincerity rather than defiance, since that was something he did not want to show to the respected Sheikah guardian, even if he did not agree with her command at the moment. Without another word, Link began to rush off towards the burning Deku Tree as Impa spun around and watched him in disbelief, sending him a harsh glare all the while.

"That boy's stubbornness is going to get him killed one day…" she muttered in aggravation, knowing that there was no time to chase after him as she turned to head towards the Fairy Fountain once more.

A small smile of admiration appeared on Lana's face as she watched the hero run off gallantly towards the dangerous flames, seeing his clear courage shine through his actions more than anything else. "It's not stubbornness," the sorceress said as she prepared to lead the way to the Great Fairy. "Its bravery. And it's the _exact_ reason why he's destined to be the hero Hyrule needs…"

* * *

With each passing second, the inferno filling the Deku Tree got worse and worse. The smoke surrounding its immediate area was so thick that Link was barely even able to see the burning tree at all as he rushed towards it, taking out any bulbin that crossed his path with ease. Before entering into the cloud of toxic smoke, the hero quickly wrapped the end of his scarf around his mouth and nose so that he wouldn't have to breathe the dangerous fumes as he allowed Proxi to take refuge inside of his cap. And then, without another moment's hesitation, he entered into the Deku Tree's burning keep, knowing that Sheik had to be somewhere inside.

The temperature inside of the tree's hallow center was unbearable as Link stopped in the middle of it, trying his best to stay clear of the tongues of flame licking at him, singing pieces of hi clothes but thankfully not burning him just yet. He strained his eyes to see even a few inches in front of him through the smoke, since this was where it had gathered the thickest, however, he saw no signs of anyone, not even the Sheikah warrior. Fortunately, it seemed as though everyone had evacuated safely, but the hero didn't want to take any chances of leaving anyone behind.

"Sheik!" he called out as loudly and succinctly as he could, wanting to conserve as much air as possible. "Sheik, are you in here?!"

Though Link barely heard it, a response did come in the form of a small, frail-sounding voice. "Yes!" Sheik answered, her voice horse and weak. The hero glanced around hurriedly once more, even though the smoke was burning his eyes, before finally spotting a hint of blue amidst the mix of grey smoke and orange fire surrounding him. Immediately, he made his way over to the Sheikah warrior to find her in a poor state indeed. She was doubled over on her hands and knees, caught up in the midst of a terrible coughing fit from having inhaled so much smoke, even despite the cloth that covered her own face. She glanced up at Link as he approached her with a look of immense concern for her condition, while weariness and exhaustion reflected in her own crimson eyes. Sheik had lingered in the tree much longer than anyone else as she did everything she could to escort the injured soldiers out, as well as using the water-based magic that the Serenade of Water provided her with to try and put the flames out, but to no avail. Because of her brave attempts however, she had suffered quite a bit from both the burns she had been unfortunate enough to receive and the smoke that she had been breathing in for far too long. By now, she was so weak that she was no longer able to stand, unable to pick herself back up and get out on her own.

Link noticed this fact immediately as he knelt down beside her, placing a protective arm around her shoulders as he noticed that she was trembling from convulsions. "Can you get up?" he asked her quickly, the smoke starting to choke him up as well. The Sheikah warrior simply answered him with a shake of her head and a low groan as he blonde locks fell even more in front of her face while she kept her head down and out of the smoke.

The hero frowned under his scarf as he took another look around the burning tree, trying to spot the nearest exit and praying that Lana and Impa would make it to the Great Fairy soon. However, before he could say or do anything else, Sheik was quick to catch his attention with another groan before she spoke. "L-Link…" she began, her voice barely more than a feeble whisper as she tried to convey her message in as few words as possible. "North… a-and south are… b-blocked by fire… E-east has caved i-in…"

"You mean the exits?" Link asked in slight confusion as the Sheikah warrior gave him a small nod of confirmation. "Then I guess west is our only option…" he said with a sigh as he realized that the western threshold of the tree was the furthest away from their current position, making things all the more difficult. And yet, the hero was not about to give up. His heart was pounding with adrenaline and determination as he quickly yet gently took Sheik into his arms and lifted her up, noting how light and apparently fragile her frame seemed to be, which seemed strange for someone who fought like she did. But nonetheless, he made sure that she was secure and not as subjected to the fire and smoke as he was as he began to head to the western exit, struggling to see his way through the inferno and trying his best not to get disoriented.

Though it took some doing, Link eventually managed to locate the western exit by the thin stream of light from the outside that was burning in through the smoke somehow. However, by the time he found it, he too was succumbing to the nearby fire. Breathing was becoming an incredibly difficult feat in and of itself and he had already taken a few burns, though thankfully none of them were critical, though they hurt nonetheless. His steps had become noticeably slower as he began to become sick from the fumes all around him, but he did not stop, at least not until an ear-splitting creak sounded from above him.

Startled by the noise, the hero paused, still holding tightly onto the semi-conscious Sheikah warrior, and glanced up towards the high wooden ceiling of the keep, his jaw dropping in shock at what he saw. Somehow, a large piece of tree bark had broken off from the rest of the tree and was quickly plummeting down towards them, its entirety engulfed in flames as it came down. Link had almost no time to react to it, save for to use most of his remaining strength to leap out of its path as it came crashing to the ground a few feet away, knocking the hero to the ground and shoving Sheik out of his arms.

The hero was stunned for a moment or two as he lay on the ashy ground, chocking aggressively from the smoke that the burning bark had stirred up. However, when he looked towards the western exit once more, his heart sank as he saw that the piece of wood had completely blocked off their last way of escape.

"N-no!" he exclaimed in dismay, weakly rising to his feet, although he almost collapsed immediately back down. His breathing sharp and shallow, Link ran to the smoldering wall of bark, not even thinking about the fact that it was covered in embers as he desperately placed his hands against it in an attempt to shove it out of the way, before quickly retracting them and letting out a cry of pain at his burnt skin.

"Link…" Sheik called out softly from the ground behind him, and the hero didn't hesitate to ignore his stinging hands and rush to her side as he got down to her level and giving her an apologetic look. "I-it… it's no use… We're t-trapped…"

The Sheikah warrior let out a small, shuddering breath as she shut her scarlet eye wearily as Link took her into his arms once more in an attempt to keep her conscious. "Sheik…" he said guiltily, his voice just as hoarse and weak as hers was. "I…. I'm sorry… This is all my fault…"

"N-no…" Sheik whispered softly, looking up at him once more. "It's not… This f-fire did not… happen b-because of you… D-don't even think that… for a s-second…"

Link frowned and shook his head, not believing her. Even though both Sheik and Lana tried to defend him and claim that Wizzro had been the cause of this fire, the hero knew that it was his recklessness and anger that had caused him to misfire the fire rod. Impa had been right in saying that he was too impulsive and careless. He always had been, and now he was paying the price for it. And yet, he wouldn't have felt so bad about it if Sheik hadn't been dragged into the disaster that he had created as well. He had put so many lives in danger and even though almost everyone had fortunately been saved, the only two people the hero was unable to save was himself and one of their best allies. And no matter what anyone told him, Link couldn't help but feel immensely guilty for that fact alone.

Keeping his head down so he wouldn't be as susceptible to the smoke, the hero was silent for a moment as he looked down into the Sheikah warrior's exhausted face. While he couldn't see much of it thanks to the cloth over her face and the hair over one eye, he could still see one of her ruby eyes as she stared up at him almost intensely, even despite the fact that she could barely breathe or move. Link averted her admittedly beautiful gaze out of remorse as he let out a small sigh, knowing that he was running low on air and energy as well.

"D-don't worry, Sheik…" the hero reassured her softly. "We'll g-get out of here… Impa a-and Lana are o-on their… way t-to the Great Fairy… S-she'll help us…"

Though comforted by this news, the Sheikah warrior could not help but frown under her face coverings as she looked up at the hero tenderly. "Link…" she muttered gently. "W-why did you… come back f-for me…? W-why risk your life… for someone you… b-barely know…?"

"Because," the hero said with absolute certainty in his weakened voice as Sheik's question brought back a fond memory of the missing princess. "S-someone once t-told me… that a g-good warrior… never l-leaves anyone behind… n-no matter who t-they are…"

Sheik took in a small breath upon hearing this, but she said nothing in regards to his statement, instead only giving him a small nod of gratitude. However, at the same time, she could feel the void of unconsciousness begin to tug at her, her vision growing blurry and distant. "Link," she said a bit louder, knowing that remaining conscious was integral to remaining alive at a moment like this, lest she fall into a coma or worse. "K-keep me awake… P-please…"

The hero nodded solemnly, even if he wasn't sure how he would do as she said. "What s-should I do…?" he asked, his voice soft and rough, but much stronger than the Sheikah warrior's was.

"A-anything…" Sheik said with a soft, fading breath. "At l-least until t-they…get help…"

Link frowned as Sheik let out another harsh cough, knowing that conversing with her was clearly out of the question, as she could barely even get a word out without choking on the unbreathable air all around them. He began to panic when he saw her eye begin to droop shut, understanding just as much as she did how dangerous it was to drift off into unconsciousness in an environment like this. And so, as the hero saw the flames surrounding them start to encroach upon them with each passing second, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, before doing the only thing that could keep them both calm at a moment like this.

The Sheikah warrior took in a silent gasp the moment she heard the hero begin to sing, listening closely to him as she realized that, even though his voice was small and hoarse from the smoke, it still sounded quite pleasant. He sung softly and gently, his eyes shut and his cheeks showing the slightest hint of an embarrassed blush since he rarely ever sang to other people before. But all the same, Sheik focused on his smooth, easy to listen to, tenor voice, listening to the words of the solemn, almost mournful tune he was singing.

"L-leaves from the vine…" Link began, his voice shaking a bit out of both fear and exhaustion as he sang the old Hylian war ballad that his uncle had often sung to him as a child. "Falling s-so slow… Like fragile t-tiny shells… D-drifting in the f-foam…" Before the hero could go on, he broke down into a small bout of coughs, the smoke from the very close fire burning is throat as he breathed it in without much of a choice.

"L-Link…" Sheik muttered softly as she held up a shaking hand, telling him to stop singing so that he wouldn't have to breathe in the toxins for her sake. And yet, Link merely smiled down at her and shook his head, singing once more as soon as he stopped coughing.

"L-little soldier boy…" the hero continued, his voice even softer as he slowly laid the Sheikah warrior on the ground before coming to lie down beside her, knowing that he was about to black out as well. But nonetheless, he kept singing, as it was the only thing he could do now that they were both facing certain death. "Come m-marching home…" He shut his eyes once more so he wouldn't have to watch the flames overcome them both, regretting what he had done to start this fire now more than ever. "Brave s-soldier boy…" With another small sigh, Link reached out and took Sheik's nearby hand in his own, giving it a small, comforting squeeze so that she would not feel alone as he own eyes shut and her sensed began to drift off to the point that she barely even heard the final lyrics of the hero's song, but she clung onto them nonetheless. "C-comes marching h-home…"

* * *

As both Lana and Impa had expected, the route to the Fairy Fountain was littered with monsters, most likely placed there by Wizzro to impede their way. Using her tome, the young sorceress cut her way through the hordes with a variety of spells, including barriers and blasts of lightning. Meanwhile, the Sheikah guardian made use of her naginata and its fiery blade, burning through any bulbin in her way. As the two women hurried to the eastern fountain, they occasionally glanced back towards the plumes of smoke rising up from the Deku Tree, wondering when and if Link and Sheik were going to emerge from it. With each passing moment, Lana began to worry more and more for their wellbeing, fearing the worst for them as they failed to catch up with them.

"We have to hurry!" the sorceress called out to the Sheikah guardian fretfully as she used her magic to take down a gibdo that was guarding the stairway that led to the fountain. "I think they might be trapped in there!"

"If they are, then there's a good chance that they're already dead," Impa said with blunt honesty, under far too much stress to show much concern for the hero, whom she did admittedly worry for, and the Sheikah warrior, whom she really did not care whether she lived or died. "But all the same, we can't let the Deku Tree burn to the ground. Let's get in there."

Lana frowned nervously, taking one last anxious glance towards the smoldering tree before she followed the Sheikah guardian into the peace of the empty Fairy Fountain. "Oh, noble Great Fairy!" the sorceress called out respectfully as her and Impa approached the magic circle. "We need your strength to quell the burning Deku Tree! Please, don't leave us to this fire!"

With her telltale laugh, the Great Fairy rose up out of the waters of the fountain with a quick spin, floating in midair as she smiled down at the sorceress and the Sheikah leader. "Well, of course, young white sorceress!" she said cheerfully. "After all, I wouldn't dream of letting that precious tree burn to the ground on my watch! I'll send my little ones out to take care of it immediately!"

"Thank you, Great Fairy…" Lana said with a sigh of relief, watching as the Great Fairy held out her hands, a stream of small pink fairies flew forth from them and pouring out of the fountain in a large group.

Curious to see what they would do, Lana and Impa ran out after them, watching with wide eyes as the tiny creatures flew up high into the sky above the canopy of trees above them. Once the fairies were high enough in the air, they scattered and flew into the white clouds in the atmosphere, joining with them and commanding the condensed water within them to follow their movements. The various groups of fairies began to carry their cloud clusters with them to a point high above the burning Deku Tree, joining them together until there was enough of them to form a thick, gray raincloud. Thunder rumbled in the heavens above before the downpour finally began, thick sheets of rain pouring from the magical clouds and dousing the blazing tree within seconds. A soft aura of gold surrounded the tree as the rain put out the fire, magically healing the damage done to it and clearing the toxic some out entirely.

Upon seeing that their base was no longer on fire, the Hylian troops all let out a triumphant cheer, their morale raising as they leaped back into the battle in full force. "Phew! That was a close one!" Lana exclaimed with a bright smile, glancing back towards the Fairy Fountain to show her gratitude to the Great Fairy once more. "We thank you, Great Fairy!"

The Great Fairy let out a warm laugh in response as she vanished back into the fountain once more, leaving Lana and Impa to head back to the Deku Tree once more. "Come on!" the sorceress said to the Sheikah guardian with renewed energy in her tone, even though there was a slight hint of worry in it as well. "We have to go see if Link and Sheik are ok!"

Impa only nodded in response as the two of them rushed for the healed Deku Tree. They were the first to arrive there amidst the rest of the soldiers who were returning to their now-safe base. However, as the Sheikah guardian and the sorceress crossed through the tree's now-clear threshold, they both stopped in their tracks when they saw the two unconscious figures lying together in the center of the keep.

Link and Sheik had only blacked out mere moments before the fire was put out, but even so, it was clear that they had suffered from the inferno quite a bit. They were both covered in a great deal of ash and their clothes were torn and singed, revealing that they had both been burned in several places. But what caught the young sorceress's eye the most was just how close the hero and the Sheikah warrior were lying to each other, their hands tightly intertwined and their faces inches apart. Something about seeing the two of them in such a way made Lana frown as she came to a realization about the Sheikah warrior and her connection to the hero, the young sorceress forced herself to glance away from them for a moment before she rushed over to them with the hopes of healing them both from their injuries.

Though she wanted to help them both equally, Lana could tell that Sheik was much worse off than Link, and so it was the Sheikah warrior who she started with. Summoning up some of her warm blue healing magic, the sorceress placed a gentle hand on Sheik's covered throat, opening up her damaged airways once more so she could breathe before taking care of the particularly bad burns on her leg and shoulder. After making sure that the Sheikah warrior had passed through the worst of it and entered into a much-needed rest, Lana moved onto the hero, taking him into her arms once more and removing the scarf that was still covering his face before taking a moment to simply stare at him while she healed his throat. Her heart wavered slightly at the sight of him as she tried to suppress the hidden admiration she had for him, admiration that she had harbored before she had even ever encountered him face-to-face. And yet, after seeing him so close to the Sheikah warrior, the sorceress knew that she couldn't breathe a word about it to him, not that she had ever intended to anyway after what had started because of such feelings.

Once the immediate healing process was finished, Lana let out a small sigh as she gave herself a moment to recharge her magical energy, watching with relief as both Link and Sheik began to stir. With a small cough to clear his throat, the hero opened his eyes and slowly eased himself up into a sitting position as he took in a much-needed breath of fresh air, the Sheikah warrior following after not that much later.

"Thanks, Lana," Link said to the sorceress with a grateful smile, already knowing that she had been the one to heal them both. Lana returned his grin as she helped him rise to his feet before aiding Sheik in standing as well. Indeed, both the hero and the Sheikah warrior felt much better, even though they hadn't gotten all of their energy back yet and they were still having some difficulty breathing. However, the hero's smile quickly faded upon seeing the cold look that Impa was giving him from across the keep, no doubt because of how he had blatantly disregarded her command earlier.

"Impa…" he began with a sigh as he walked over to her, but before he could go on, the Sheikah guardian simply put up a hand to stop him.

"You don't need to say anything in your defense," she said with firm seriousness in her tone, even though the smallest hint of a smile was playing on her lips. "Just promise me that you'll never do something so reckless and out of order again, alright?"

Link grinned once more upon hearing this, glad that the stoic general of the army was forgiving enough to overlook his often defiant manner, something that he was determined to fix in the future. "I'll do my best," he said with resolve, knowing that he could not let her down a third time.

Impa finally smiled fully upon hearing this, nodding in satisfaction that he would. "Very good," she said, before she turned to lead the way out of the Deku Tree. "Now, I think we have a wizard to deal with and a forest to save, don't we?"

Link, Sheik and Lana all nodded in agreement as they left the inside of the tree, only to find that monsters were rushing towards it from all over the forest as Wizzro's voice shouted out angrily throughout the trees. "Gah! Who let them talk to the Great Fairy!?" he demanded crossly, infuriated that the fire had been put out and that no one had lost their lives in the process. "That plan was PERFECT!"

"I think that Wizzro's base is to the northwest," Lana told the rest of the group as they began to cut through the bulbins coming their way.

"I have a feeling that wizard knows more than he's letting on…" Sheik mused, referring to the enemy that Hyrule was facing as a whole, but upon hearing this, Impa interpreted it the wrong way.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with you," the Sheikah guardian said with a scowl as she burned through a line of monsters. "He said he didn't know where the princess is back in the caves, but I think it was all a front. Well, if he knows where Zelda is, then I'll just have to beat the information out of him!"

Link glanced over at Impa upon hearing this proclamation, frowning at her worriedly as he noticed just how fiercely and brutally she was carving through the monsters. "Impa? Are you ok?" he asked with concern. "You seem kinda stressed out…"

"Well, of course I'm stressed out!" the Sheikah guardian snapped in aggravation. "We've come all this way and Princess Zelda is still nowhere to be found! And not only that, but we keep running into that grievance of a wizard everywhere we go!"

"We'll take care of him and find Zelda," the hero reassured her, knowing that she needed to take the advice she had given him earlier about keeping a level head. "You told me that I shouldn't push myself so hard; maybe you should do the same."

Impa only glared at him for a moment, knowing that Link, of all people, was in no position to tell her to pace herself after all of the mistakes he had made thus far. However, though she was tempted to tell him that, she merely turned away from him and continued fighting, knowing that endurance was what pulled the strongest through in times such as these. "I won't rest until Princess Zelda is safe…" she muttered harshly as she plunged the tip of her naginata into yet another monster.

The rest of the group exchanged a brief, worried glance for the general, but they knew that there was no arguing with her when she was like this, and so they merely continued to push on, breaking through the hordes and running towards the northwest, which was indeed the source of the monsters flooding the woods. However, as the group of four burst into the enemy base at long last, they only spotted Wizzro for a second as he turned towards them and gave them a sinister grin before vanishing out of sight and out of reach entirely.

"No!" Impa shouted in fury at their elusive foe. "He got away! He's too fast!"

"Not again!" Lana said with a sigh of dismay. "We were so close, too!"

As the group searched the surrounding area for any signs of the enemy, they were unaware of his presence looming high above their heads. Wizzro chuckled to himself as he watched them scatter, a plan formulating in his mind that caused him to grin even deeper. "Oh, what if I had IT kill them?" he said to himself, clasping his bony hands together in twisted delight. "That's so naughty! I love it!" With another cackling laugh, the wizard retreated from the battlefield entirely, but not before summoning another beast to take care of his foes once and for all.

As the group of four were searching over the enemy keep, they all barely managed to catch sight of the growing shadow above their heads. And, once they all glanced up and saw the huge shape that was about to drop down upon them, they all cleared out of the keep immediately as the monster crashed down to the ground.

This monster, much like King Dodongo, was huge, towering over all of the Hylian troops as they stood outside the keep, preparing to fight it off. It was a spider-like creature with six, claw-like legs, three on each side, and a large, single red eye, though it had a retractable solid shield to protect it, giving everyone the idea that its eye was most likely its weak point amidst its otherwise sturdy body. It let out a wild screech as it began to make its way towards the Hylian forces, slashing away at their numbers with its hard, barbed legs.

"That's no regular enemy!" Impa called out to the nearby soldiers as she poised her naginata to attack. "Everyone, be on your guard!"

As the Sheikah guardian said this, the monster somehow let out a thin beam of electric light from its eye, cutting through the soldiers and taking several within its immediate range down. "That monster is called Ghoma!" Lana exclaimed, putting her vast knowledge of monsters to use. "It's very powerful… But that doesn't matter! We have to kill it somehow!"

"Right!" Link said in agreement as he drew his sword while Sheik stood at his side, poising her harp to attack. However, upon seeing this, the sorceress frowned at both of them, knowing that they needed their rest after the ordeal they had just been through.

"Actually, I think you two should fall back…" Lana said, biting her lip sheepishly.

"What?" the hero asked, glancing over at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"My healing magic can only do so much," the sorceress explained. "You're both still recovering and neither of you are up to your full strength yet. We can handle Ghoma. You need to retreat back to the Deku Tree for now and rest up."

"But I want to fight!" Link exclaimed rather stubbornly, believing that he felt well enough to keep going, but Sheik was quick to stop him before he could rush blindly towards the monster by grabbing him by the arm.

"Lana is right, Link," the Sheikah warrior said wisely. "We have been through much. The last thing we need is to fall yet again today. There will be other battles to fight in, and this one is not ours."

The hero hesitate for a moment as he looked towards the raging Ghoma once more, wishing that he was strong enough to join the battle against it, but knowing that Sheik and Lana were both right. As much as he was willing to fight, he knew that he needed to recuperate and heal before rushing back into battle once more. And so, with a compliant sigh, he simply nodded and went along with the Sheikah warrior towards the refuge of the Deku Tree, leaving the sorceress and the Sheikah guardian to fend off Ghoma with their troops.

"Its eye is its weak spot!" Lana called out to everyone nearby so that they would know where to focus their attacks.

"But how can we attack it if it just keeps covering it up?" Impa asked as she attempted to run its eye through with her naginata, but it stopped her just in time by covering it with its thick shield.

The sorceress bit her lip in thought as she watched the troops continue to attempt to strike the eye directly, only to have all of their attacks repelled easily. She knew that they were doing very little damage at all as it continued to attack them by slashing at them and firing their beams at them. However, as she watched them bust their spears against the shield, a sudden idea came to her as she realized that all of their attacks were too slow and limited in range. With a small smile, Lana took out the bow that was still strapped to her back from earlier and aimed an arrow for Ghoma's exposed eye, quickly letting it lose before it could cover it with the shield once more. Much to her fortune, it was a direct hit, causing the monster to recoil and fall to the ground stunned as the troops began to strike its eye mercilessly. Impa stabbed at it with her flaming naginata as Lana attacked it with several bursts of electricity, however, Ghoma was strong and resilient, and though they attacks did quite a bit of damage, it managed to regain its bearings once more a few moments later. After this bout of attacks, the monster was more enraged than ever as it let out another screech and, before any more damage could be done to it, it leapt high up into the trees, before crashing down to the ground in another part of the forest, one that both Lana and Impa immediately recognized.

"Oh, gosh!" the sorceress exclaimed worriedly. "That monster's in the Deku Tree!"

"We can't let that tree fall again," Impa said with resolve, already running towards the allied base. "Everyone, hurry! We need to defend it as soon as possible!"

Without another moment's hesitation, the entirety of the Hylian troops began to head for the Deku Tree, clearing a path through the bulbins blocking the way. However, upon arriving there, Lana and Impa were surprised to see that Link and Sheik were battling Ghoma all on their own, even though they had been instructed to rest. And yet, neither the sorceress nor the Sheikah guardians scolded the two of them for it; after all, the Deku Tree had to be protected at all costs.

"Every monster has a weakness!" Sheik called out to Link as they tried to land a hit upon the arachnid to no avail, neither of them having noticed that the rest of their allies had arrived to aid them. "We just have to find this one's!"

"Allow me," Lana interjected with a sly grin as she headed towards them, drawing her bow and striking Ghoma in its eye once more before it could fire a beam at the hero and the Sheikah warrior. As the monster collapsed to the ground once more, the entirety of the Hylian army converged upon it, every single soldier attacking its eye with as much force as they could muster. And, in the end, that was thankfully enough this time. With another wild cry, Ghoma's bleeding eye shut for the last time as it fell to the ground before disappearing into a puff of smoke, just as King Dodongo had in Hyrule Field.

With Ghoma's defeat, the rest of the bulbin and gibdo forces instantly vanished from the woods as well, allowing the Hylian troops to take a much needed rest in the aftermath of their hard-earned victory. Indeed, this battle had been arduous and dangerous, but they had survived nonetheless; they would live to fight another day.

"Amazing!" Proxi chimed cheerfully as she flew around Link in celebration. "We took down that huge… THING!"

"At least the forest is finally safe…" the hero said with a sigh of relief, glad that the troops could finally be at ease after such a difficult fight.

"Great job, everyone!" Lana congratulated her troops with a large bubbly grin. "That's a solid win for us! The residents of these woods won't have to worry about monsters anymore thanks to us!"

And yet, even despite the success that the army had just claimed, not everyone was satisfied. Impa stood within one of the thresholds of the Deku Tree, gazing out over the now-peaceful forest with disappointment, something that did not go unnoticed by Link as he headed over to her remembering how stressed she had been acting earlier.

"What's the matter?" he asked her as he came to stand next to her, seeing the worry in her expression.

The Sheikah guardian let out a sigh, deciding to be honest with him this time. "I had hoped so much that Princess Zelda would be here…" she said with a bitter frown, glancing down at her feet as she wondered if the princess was safe wherever she might be. "Apparently that hope was all in vain…"

As Lana was working on healing up a few of her injured soldiers, she happened to overhear this, as did Sheik, who merely stepped back into the shadows aloofly. The sorceress, however, turned to face the hero and the Sheikah guardian, rising to her feet as she kept her eyes on Link intently.

"Like I said," Link said with a small smile, even though he joined Impa in having his hopes of finding Zelda shattered. "We'll find her, wherever she is."

The Sheikah guardian merely shook her head, hating the uncertainty that had gathered around the situation as a whole. "All the same, I still can't help but wonder…" she began, her voice uncharacteristically soft and concerned, showing just how much she cared for the princess's wellbeing. "Where could she be? Is she safe? Is she hurt? May the goddesses protect her…"

The hero said nothing more as he simply glanced down, his mind filling with the same worries for the missing princess, who had saved his life and had shown him such kindness that he simply could not forget it. If she was hurt, then he would make sure that whatever force had dared to touch her would pay dearly, and even if she was safe, then he would do everything it took to bring her back home.

Lana could practically see both Link's devotion and determination in his morose expression and she couldn't help but let out a sad sigh, grief and guilt filling her all at once. Her grief came from the fact that her feelings for him would never be returned because of the mandates of destiny, and her guilt came from even having those feelings in the first place, for it had been those feelings that had brought about this disaster in the first place. _But those are Cia's feelings, not yours…_ the sorceress reminded herself in an attempt to make herself feel better. And yet, even despite that thought, Lana knew that there was not much of a difference. After all, it was her own weakness and lack of control that had brought forth their wrath of the instigator of this war. And tried as she might to hide the truth from her new allies, the sorceress knew that she could not keep her biggest secret from them forever.

* * *

_Deep in the Forbidden Forest… _

The Forbidden Forest was located in a completely different region of Hyrule than Faron Woods, its position more to the west of Hyrule Castle than the north. Most had never dared to enter inside of its inky depths out of fear of what may be lurking inside of them, and so very few knew of the grand temple that laid within its depths, the Temple of Souls to be exact.

The Temple of Souls was said to be a mystical place, one that apparently reflected the mental state of its owner. Though once a place of purity and light, darkness and perverse desire now loomed within its halls, a desire that was reflected in every statue and portrait that lined the corridors and rose garden surrounding it.

This desire belonged solely to the mistress of the temple, the very instigator of the great war itself. She was a young woman of rare and incredible beauty, beauty that she didn't hesitate to show off in her revealing outfit, even though she kept the upper half of her face concealed with a mask. A dark smile filled her crimson lips as she glanced into her crystal ball, running her fingers gracefully along its smooth surface as she watched the battle in Faron Woods rage on with great interest, not even bothering to be upset about how Wizzro had failed her twice now. After all, the ring-turned-wizard had already broken her command by trying to kill the hero, something that she had ordered both him and Volga to make sure they did not do. After all, he would be no use to her dead; she would much rather have him alive and all to herself.

"_He will be coming to you next…" _the encroaching head inside of her voice said to her in a subtle whisper, its words only making her grin deepen.

"Yes…" she said smoothly, gazing at the hero longingly as he fought even through exhaustion and pain. "I know… And I can hardly wait…"

"_You know what you must do when he shows up, yes?" _the voice asked with eager, hidden greed.

"Of course…" she said with confidence. "Everything is already in place. The dragon knight and the dark wizard are already waiting in the Valley of Seers for them. I just thought I would watch from here a little while longer… After all, I can hardly take my eyes off of him…"

"_Do not lose sight of your mission, sorceress," _the voice admonished in aggravation. _"The Triforce is first, then you may have your beloved hero."_

"Indeed…" the black sorceress said, moving in close to the crystal ball as the object of her perverse affections filled it entirely, uncontrollable lust running through her heart and soul at the very sight of him. "I shall obtain the Triforce… And then, at long last… The hero shall _finally _be mine…"

* * *

**Oooo foreshadowing... I love it! And indeed, next chapter, we'll get a little more of everyone's favorite crazy, Link-obsessed sorceress! Yay! Also, before I forget that song that Link sang to Sheik does NOT belong to me. Rather, it is called "Leaves from the Vine" and it is from one of my favorite shows of all time: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Go look it up on YouTube and give it a listen if you want! Anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be out sometime next week, but for now I'd like to say happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers! So, for now, don't forget to REVIEW as always. Until next time! :D**


	8. Eclipse of the Sun

_Ok, so thanks to Thanksgiving break, my whole writing schedule got thrown off, but whatever. Its all good. Here we have part 1 (of 2) of the Valley of Seers stage (sorry, I know i promised Cia in this chapter, and while she is kinda here, there will be much more of her in the next chapter! Plus, I REALLY wanted a chapter entitled Eclipse of the Sun, so I can have another chapter entitled Eclipse of the Moon (my FAVORITE song from HW) later on!) Anyway, firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed/favorited! Now onto the reviews!_

_**Shiro Arceus**: Aw, thanks so much! I'm really glad you're liking everything! And its kinda my intent to make the game's story more fleshed out and better, so I'll keep trying at it! And I am also SUPER glad you noticed the mother-son thing going on between Link and Impa! That was my intent from the get-go! She's like his momboss! I love it! _

_**GuestC**: Thanks! I enjoy fleshing out the rather bare-bones plot of HW into something entertaining for readers, so I'm glad I did my job! Kudos to you for reading it all in one sitting (I know I never would be able to, my attention span is too short, ahhaha!) And as far as Sheik (Zelda)/Link goes, I dunno if she's gonna reveal herself accidentally to everyone, but she may end up tipping at least Link off a little, though he won't know for sure until she finally reveals herself like in the game!_

_**Ezakiel**: Yeah, Lana's gonna pretty much tell everyone everything in the beginning of this chapter, but it won't spoil Cia as a character hopefully, cause I have so much planned for her! And Volga kinda takes center stage in this chapter, so I hope you'll like it! I do plan on having at least one or two chapters focused on Cia, Volga and Wizzro alone, so in them, I do plan exploring them all more. And yes! I can't wait to write Ganondorf, especially cause he is just so epic in this game (and I plan on making him even more awesome and evil than he already is!) As far as the Great Fairy goes, I'd like to think that she can only really do something when she is called upon, which kinda sucks for our heroes, but hey, if she could just go about willy-nilly, it would make things way too easy. And as to why Volga and Wizzro keep trying to kill Link, well, as the DLC implies, they aren't necessarily 100% loyal to Cia. I mean, in her story mode, Wizzro seemed to turn against her like every five seconds! It ticked me off so bad! :P_

_**Sigma73**: Hahaha yeah, I getcha. Don't worry, I'll be as tasteful as possible. And you're right! Whoopsies! I guess I'll have to go back and fix that eventually!_

_**Black Scepter**: Whoo, okay. Lots of reviews to answer, but I don't mind! :D So, I'll try to be concise. I can understand your fear of Link taking a back seat here, but I can promise you that I have NO intention of that happening. After all, Link is my favorite Zelda character, so its only fitting that I give him the proper attention he deserves. Now, this chapter, I must admit, focuses much more on Sheik and Impa than Link, or even Lana, but the next chapter will be much more on them, as well as Cia. And as far as him becoming useless, I'm trying to make it seem as though he's still learning, but in time, he will come to be much more heroic and befitting of the title of hero. I doubt he'll make another slip up like setting the Deku tree on fire any time soon, but he will still make some slip ups (specifically, in the Temple of Souls, but that's part of the game, so...) As far as making Sheik a girl, I'm pretty sure she is, at least in HW, mostly because, as you said, her feminine design. Going back to the Zelink parts of her hugging him, it is because I am trying to write this Zelda with expression, kinda like SS Zelda, only with a bit more regality thrown in because of her position. And yeah, part of the reason why Impa promoted Link was because of his status as the hero; after all, as we've clearly seen, he lacks experience befitting a general, but I think he'll grow into it in time. Finally getting to the first review, I don't intend to character bash (even if I personally don't like Proxi that much, though I think Lana is awesome!), not even to characters like Agitha (who I personally think has no business being in this game, but whatever). Anyway, thanks for all of your super nice words, as well as your constructive criticism! Everything helps me get better after all! :D_

_**Legendoffun**: I love both Korra and Avatar, so I just had to make some sort of reference to them! Glad you caught the hints of foreshadowing... ;D_

_**OkayDokey33**: Glad you kinda explained my approach with Lana and Cia, since that is kinda what I'm going for. After all, I'd like to think that Lana is not 100% good and Cia is not 100% evil, so that sort of thing will certainly come into play here. And yes, Lana's drive is centered around the fact that she was unable to help Cia withstand Ganondorf corrupting her, something that I think, makes Lana and Cia both very tragic, very interesting characters. And yea, you have to feel bad for Impa, and what you said about everyone else who gets close to the heroes is very true as well. Midna specifically came to my mind, espcially since she tried to stand up to Ganondorf, but ultimately, Link was the only one who could defeat him. Its kinda sad, really... :(_

_**Pikori78**: I do plan on incorporating some of Cia's tale, but in some interesting ways... ;D_

_**Dusk Mind**: He sure does! And I plan on foreshadowing it a lot, since its a HUGE part of his character development later on!_

_**Zelink4321**: Oh you better believe there will be some zelink kisses up in here! And cuddling and possibly even some lemon and yes, even hand holding and hugs, as basic as that is. I ship it so hard that I wouldn't be able to justify not including my OTP having some love!_

_**Tolazytologin**: Glad for that! :D I'm also glad you're liking the story! :D_

_**alexhacker39**: Thanks! :D_

_**Pikatwig**: He very much does! And yeah, Lana kinda caught onto Sheik's identity, but then again she did see OoT Zelda do the same thing so... And yeah, actually your idea kinda makes sense. If Cia was smart, she'd go back to the beginning and just make her move then instead of doing it in HW Hyrule (which I think is at the very bottom of the timeline!)_

_**Flameshield**: Yeah, it only makes sense that Impa gets frustrated every now and then instead of remaining consistantly level-headed... ;)_

_**mega-dark**: Basically summed it up perfectly! And yeah, the last chapter was kinda all over the place, mostly cause Smash did distract the heck out of me (its soooo good! as was the turkey! :D And yeah, I might be compelled to put Twili Midna in here... ;D_

_**Libby8980**: Hahahah, Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it and I will gladly help myself to that taco, cookies, and "piehs" hehehehe! :D_

_**R-king 93**: Thanks!_

_**Lord Darth Yoda**: Oh yeah ;P Hahahah jk. And yeah, I had some writer's block with that last chapter, but hopefully this will be better!_

_**gandalf42**: Very true. And it would be funny to see Wizzro get knocked off in such an ironic way, but I think I'll mostly stick to the game for that. And indeed, things totally go to the next level now... ;D_

_**ultimateCC**: Yep! Here we are!_

_**Skydragon74193**: Glad your recognized it! And thanks!_

_**mysteryfriend16**: As am i! :D_

_**RandomButLoved**: Hahaha, already responded to this one, but thanks for the review anyway! :D_

_Ok, guys. You know what? Answering all these reviews at once is getting really taxing for me, so how would you guys feel if I just started PMing responses instead? I think that would make things easier for everyone, so that's what I'm gonna start doing (at least for this story) with the next chapter. But for now, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 7: Eclipse of the Sun_

The Hyrulian army was on an advance to the very northeastern corner of Hyrule, where Lanayru Valley, a place that Lana referred to as the Valley of Seers. Fortunately, though the morning had been spent taking care of the disaster in Faron Woods, the troops had finally been able to move on with the entire afternoon ahead of them, and thankfully, they had not worn themselves into exhaustion quite yet, all of them eager to push forward. Of course, Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik were among the most anxious to arrive at their destination, all of them wanting to cut off the flow of monsters at its apparent source.

As the troops steadily marched along to their destination, the white sorceress made good on her promise to divulge more information to her newfound allies about their common foe.

"I think it'd be best to begin with the Triforce…" Lana said with a sigh after Impa prompted her to tell them more about Cia. "You all know at least a little about it, right?"

"The Triforce…" Impa said with a cryptic nod. "Hyrule's holy relic and the source of its providence… There are many legends out there about it. I suppose that it is Cia's ultimate goal then, yes? After all, its power is great and unrivaled throughout the land."

"Well, the Triforce is only _part _of what she wants…" the white sorceress said a bit apprehensively. "There's something else too… But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Like I said before, Cia and I were from the same clan. We were taught the art of magic from a very young age, and… well, we pretty much grew up together…"

"So, you were close to her?" Link asked with a pitied frown upon hearing the clear sadness in Lana's tone.

The white sorceress sighed. "More than you could ever know…" she said as she kept her violet gaze upon the ground while she walked. "For years, everything was just fine. We both grew in power and skill and eventually, both of us received a message from the goddesses themselves… They wanted the two of us to watch over the Triforce and make sure that its power was protected from evil and misuse. Its balance is very fragile, and it was our job to keep it safe from the eyes of those who might seek to take it for themselves.

"The two of us moved to the seclusion of the Forbidden Woods to make sure that we could carry out our task in peace, without any influence from the outside world. However, our time wasn't idle. As payment for taking care of the Triforce, the goddesses granted us the ability to see across the ages. We were able to watch history unfold in every era, but most of the time, it was very boring. Cia often complained about it, only taking any real interest whenever there was a war or some big happening... Until…"

Lana paused as she finally looked up, casting a long glance over in Link's direction as he, like Sheik and Impa, continued to listen to her tale carefully. The white sorceress let out another small sigh, knowing that they all needed to know this information, as much as it brought her shame and guilt. "Until she saw… you, Link…"

The hero gave her a look of absolute confusion as the two Sheikah women also glanced over at him in wondering. Link had no idea what to make of this, so he simply prompted Lana to continue her story so that he could understand it better. "What do you mean?" he asked evenly, though he had no idea what he had to do with any of this.

"As I said, Cia and me were able to see the lives of everyone who ever lived, both now and in the past, but not the future," Lana explained, now averting the hero's confused gaze. "And as we watched time play out, a soul that was unlike any other caught her attention: a soul that has come to be called the Spirit of the Hero, one that is always reborn whenever Hyrule is facing certain doom. The Spirit of the Hero has had many bearers in the past, and Cia watched all of their adventures and battles with immense interest, and so would I. They were all just… so special… The way they would always so selflessly save Hyrule, triumphing over evil no matter what the cost… It was beautiful… And yet… it quickly became clear that Cia was way more enticed with them as I was… Eventually, she started falling in love with them, and with the very idea of the Spirit of the Hero itself. It was only as that love turned into obsession that things went from bad to worse…

"As much as Cia admired the Spirit of the Hero, she knew that she would never be able to be with any of its bearers; it just wasn't fate's design. She was heartbroken and angry, and it was because of that anger that darkness started to fill her heart. She cursed the very goddesses that gave us our responsibility I… I tried everything I could to convince Cia not to listen to the evil that was calling out to her, but… nothing worked… Darkness took over her soul, and her obsession and desire for the Spirit of the Hero only deepened. All the light and purity that used to fill her was gone… and in its place, only resentment and lust remained…"

"I couldn't stand to be near Cia any more after that… The evil inside of her was just too much for me to bear… And so… I left. But, before I did, I made sure that the Triforce would remain protected from her. Before she could lay her hands upon it, I cast a spell on it that split it up into three parts. The Triforce of Power unfortunately remained with her, but the other two were sent out to those who would keep them safe… like you, Link," Lana said with a small grin as she nodded to the Triforce of Courage on the his hand, something that Impa had made sure to give the hero all the details she knew about not long after she had appointed him to second general.

"You still haven't mentioned what any of this has to do with me yet," Link said, still confused about Lana's earlier statement, even though both Sheik and Impa were starting to catch on.

"Ah… well…" the white sorceress bit her lip somewhat awkwardly. "It's a little hard to explain… Like I said, Cia wants the Triforce, but… even more than that she wants the Spirit of the Hero, or more specifically, its bearer, all to herself. It's why she started this war in the first place. She'll do whatever it takes to get what she wants, including take over Hyrule… She caused all of this chaos and violence just so she can get to bearer of the Spirit of the Hero, which, in this era, just so happens to be…" Lana paused as she held her gaze on the hero, her expression telling him everything, but she said it aloud nonetheless. "You…"

Link was admittedly stunned speechless upon hearing this, mostly because he wasn't really sure what to think of everything that Lana had just implied. Before they had set out on their search for Zelda, Impa had mentioned something to the hero about him having a special sort of spirit, most likely the fabled Spirit of the Hero that the white sorceress had explained, but that wasn't what surprised him the most. What bothered him was the fact that he had somehow aroused the affections of a woman he had never even met before, and in turn, those affections had somehow incited the war that Hyrule was currently facing. He couldn't help but feel that the entire catastrophe was partially his fault, even if he had done nothing at all. For so long, everyone had been wondering what this war was being waged over, and now Lana had made it clear; indeed, it was a battle for both the Triforce and control over Hyrule, but even more than that, it was being waged over one person alone: the very hero helping to save it.

After a prolonged moment of silence from both the surprised, slightly sickened hero and the remorseful white sorceress, the Sheikah warrior, who had been silent throughout most of the journey, spoke up. "So, what exactly is her strategy then, if you know anything of it?" Sheik asked, though there was a hint of some type of unreadable emotion in her tone in the aftermath of what Lana had just revealed.

Glad to move away from the most awkward part of the tale, the white sorceress answered this much more promptly. "I'm not entirely sure…" she said with a frown. "All I know is that, as I was leaving Cia, in a fit of rage, she used her magic to tear open the Gate of Souls, the magical doorway that connects all eras of the past. That's where all the monsters flooding Hyrule came from: all the different periods of Hyrule's past. She's using her magic to control them and she's the one who commands them to do her bidding, with Volga and Wizzro working under her, I guess. Ever since this all started, more monsters have been appearing every day, causing so much chaos and ruin… I've been trying to fight against them ever since they appeared, hoping that I can stop Cia, but I know I can't do it on my own. Even the small resistance force I came across near Faron hasn't been enough to leave a major dent in their armies. There's just so many of them…"

"We'll stop them," Link said, finally breaking his stunned silence of the past several minutes. His tone immediately caught Lana, Impa and Sheik's attention in how firm and resolved it was, no doubt burning with the desire to put an end to something that was apparently centered around him. The Sheikah leader couldn't help but subtly grin at how, for the first time, he no longer spoke with the uncertainty of a recruit, but the authority of a general as he continued. "We'll keep fighting against them like we've been doing and we'll close the Gate of Souls so no more will come. We'll put an end to this war, and most of all, we'll find Princess Zelda."

"Well said, Link," Impa said with a nod of proud satisfaction. Sheik remained quiet, keeping in her mysterious nature of only sparing words when she needed to, but it was clear from the look that her crimson eyes were giving him that she was thoroughly impressed as well. However, unlike them, Lana was able to see the hidden intention and motivation behind the hero's words, as well as the hint of shame and guilt that had filled them.

"Link…" the white sorceress said with a frown after Impa and Sheik had moved on past them towards the entrance of the Valley of Seers looming nearby. "You… you know what none of this is your fault… right?"

The hero's steady, determined expression finally faded into an apprehensive one, though he did not backpedal on what he had said. "I feel like it is…" he admitted guiltily. "You said it yourself: the only reason Cia's doing any of this is because she wants me. Maybe it would just be easier if… if I just surrendered myself over to her. Then, no one else would have to get hurt and the war would finally end."

"Oh, Link…" Lana said, feeling even more remorse than ever upon hearing this incredibly selfless suggestion, one that she could not allow him to do. "You know you can't do that. Hyrule needs you. And besides, it's still far too early to give up now! The only reason why I became a little discouraged earlier was because I had been fighting against Cia's forces on my own. But now that we're all going to fight her together; we can do this. _You_ can do this, Link. I know it. After all, you've done it before…" she said with a reassuring smile, referring to the untold courage of all of his past lives that she had observed.

The hero smiled in gratitude to the white sorceress, feeling comforted by her words. After all, there wasn't really any way that he could have known about Cia, or her obsessive feelings for him. And yet, at the same time, he still felt somewhat guilty, especially when he thought about how this war had caused Zelda's disturbing, prolonged disappearance. Link knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to Hyrule's wise, benevolent ruler, especially after the care and kindness she had shown him. And yet, as the hero thought of the princess, he was invigorated with inspiration and determination once more, his resolve to fight for her safe return, and for Hyrule was a whole, rekindled, renewed and burning brighter than ever.

* * *

The Valley of Seers was a place that, like any place that evil and darkness touched, an area that had once been full of life and light. The grass had once grown green, the lush trees stood tall, and the skies blue and clear. But now, it was a mere shadow of its former self. The grass had all but vanished into barren, dusty earth, the trees had shriveled and their foliage had vanished into unnatural yellow orbs of light that still clung to their curled branches, and the skies were now painted in permanent clouds of darkness. The entire region had clearly suffered from widespread earthquakes, as deep chasms had formed throughout it, leaving the remaining pieces of earth to be isolated and cut apart like pieces of a puzzle. The ruins of once strong and sturdy stone structures, most likely temples and other sacred places, now lay in crumbled ruins all over the area. And, what all of the Hylian troops noticed as they entered into the desolate valley, was not just the overwhelming presence of bokoblins and other monsters on guard, but the strange violet aura that light up the summit of the northern crest, the location that the leaders of the army already knew their foe had to be.

With a mere commanding nod from the Sheikah guardian, the Hylian forces sprang into action, rushing headlong into the hordes of enemies and cutting them down as they did in both Faron and Eldin. However, before Link, Lana, Sheik or Impa could take a single step forward into the fray, a female's voice suddenly echoed out across the valley, its tone smooth, sultry, and greedy all at once.

"Oh, so the hero has finally come to see me at long last, has he?" the voice of the black witch called out, specifically to Link as he glanced around warily like the rest of his allies, just in case she was somewhere nearby. "Well then, my _darling _Link…. Please don't keep me waiting…"

Cia let out an icy laugh, but said nothing more. However, before the seductive words of the black sorceress could really get to the hero, who was still disturbed by the situation at large, Lana quickly intervened. "Cia's at the top of the ruins," the white sorceress said, holding her tome of sorceress close in preparation to fight. "If we can strike her down, then we can stop her from summoning any more monster and close the Gate of Souls!"

"Easier said then done…" Sheik mused as they all looked ahead to the vast hordes of monsters covering the valley laying before them. Indeed, there were many of them, but it was nothing that they had not faced before. "Perhaps we should split up so that we can spread our efforts further. If we manage to capture the ruin keeps, it may provide a foothold against the enemy."

"Great idea, Sheik," Lana said with an agreeing nod. "We might have more success if we split up into two groups. Link, you and me will head for the west keep, okay?"

"Got it," the hero said as he drew his sword, opting to use it much more than the fire rod after what had happened in the woods.

"In that case, Impa and I shall attack from the east," the Sheikah warrior said, not reacting to the caustic look the Sheikah guardian was giving her upon this suggestion, though she said nothing a the moment since Link and Lana were nearby. "Let's go."

With a final nod of parting, the group split off, the hero and the white sorceress forging a path through the monsters towards the west ruins keep, leaving the two Sheikah women alone. However, as Sheik began to advance towards the east keep, she quickly found that Impa was not going with her. She stopped in her tracks as she turned to face the Sheikah guardian, who merely stood in place with her arms crossed, giving the Sheikah warrior a sided glance. Even after the battle in Faron Woods, Impa still had her share of misgivings about Sheik. After all, no one knew anything about her at all, and every time anyone asked her to divulge more information about herself, she would merely answer with vague words and riddle-like phrases. The Sheikah guardian had never liked people who passed themselves off as mysterious and indirect, but even more than that, Impa truly believed that Sheik was hiding something from all of them. Of course, the Sheikah warrior had fought alongside them and spoke as if she was on their side, but what if she was only acting in such a way to gain their trust, when in actuality she could turn out to be a spy or assassin for their enemy? From the moment Impa first saw Sheik, she doubted that she was actually a true member of the Sheikah tribe, whose numbers were now small and widely spread out throughout the world. Certainly, it would be an appropriate disguise for a traitor; after all, the duty of the Sheikah tribe was to serve the royal family, and so it would be enough to convince Link and the other soldiers of her authenticity, but Impa wasn't so easily persuaded. The Sheikah guardian wasn't about to take any chances of being subject to a betrayal, especially in a place such as this, right at the enemy's front door.

"Aren't you coming?" Sheik asked with confusion as Impa still did not move, but instead, only glared even more harshly at the Sheikah warrior.

"Actually, no," Impa said as cordially as possible so that Sheik wouldn't figure out that she was onto her if her suspicions were correct. "I have my own attack plans."

"What?" the Sheikah warrior asked, looking taken aback, which she admittedly was. "But… we'll cover more ground if we work together."

The Sheikah guardian simply remained resolute as she shook her head. "Sorry," she said with an unconcerned shrug. "But not this time."

Sheik simply looked at Impa with absolute shock, and perhaps the slightest bit of hurt in her scarlet eyes, but the Sheikah guardian was unmoved by it. Instead, she simply took off on a different route without sparring any more words to her supposed foe, leaving the Sheikah warrior at a complete and utter loss about what had just happened.

Having taken a more winding path towards the west ruins keep, Impa glanced over her shoulder every now and then between taking down monsters, just to make sure that Sheik was not following her. She stood by her decision to leave the Sheikah warrior on her own; not only did she not trust Sheik, but Impa believed that taking a simple keep was something that she could easily do on her own. However, she could have never known what was waiting for inside of the keep: the dragon knight himself.

Upon emerging into the west keep, Impa growled in indignation and fury at the foe she had last encountered in Hyrule Field weeks ago, especially upon seeing that he was using his fiery breath to strike down several of her soldiers all at once. "Worthless…" Volga scoffed to himself as he struck down more Hylian knights with his spear, having not noticed the Sheikah guardian's presence yet. "These vermin barely qualify as exercise!"

"Hey!" Impa called out to him with her giant blade already brandished and ready to strike. "If you want a real fight, why don't you leave them alone and face me instead!"

The dragon knight turned to face her with a dark grin, finally allowing the injured Hylian soldiers who were still capable of standing to flee to safety. "Oh, look," he said, his tone haughty and prideful. "The Sheikah wretch from the field… I'd think that you'd be smarter than to challenge me so boldly, but if it's a battle you want, then it is a battle you shall get!"

Neither Impa nor Volga said anything else as the duel between them commenced, both of them striking out at once. The Sheikah guardian's blade was met with the dragon knight's pike as they clashed weapons several times, before both of them decided to go for different strategies instead. As Volga let loose a fireball, Impa was quick to extinguish it with some of her water magic, deftly dodging out of the way of a slash of his clawed hand. The Sheikah guardian attempted to gain the offensive by trying to cut her blade through the dragon knight's side, but he countered by blocking it with one of his hands, while using the tip of his spear to finally land a hit on his foe. Impa let out a sharp grunt of pain as the spear cut up her left arm, but she did not relent even despite that the long cut was pouring with blood. She attempted to hit Volga with some water arrows next, but now that he had gained the upper hand, he merely moved out of their path before they struck him. The dragon knight gave the Sheikah guardian a sinister, triumphant grin as he backed away a bit, a new plan formulating in his mind. Volga made a high leap into the air and, much to Impa's surprise, he almost instantly transformed into his dragon form, hovering above the keep as he kept his sights still set on her. Her heart pounding with adrenaline, the Sheikah guardian barely managed to dodge several of the fireballs he sent her way, some of them actually managing to catch onto her, but not causing any severe damage. However, even she could have done nothing as the dragon began to dive-bomb towards the center of the keep at an alarming speed. Impa leaped out of the way as much as she could, but the resounding explosion was enough to send her pummeling into the hard stone wall of the keep, knocking the wind out of her and sending her into semi-consciousness as her head bounced off the wall.

Returned to his more human form, Volga didn't hesitate to lash out at his downed foe, landing a deep, heavy cut across her stomach with his spear. Impa was unable to contain her cry of pain as she desperately tried to rise and lift her blade against him, even though she was far too weak and injured to. "Hm, you're no fun," the dragon knight said mockingly as he prepared to come in for another attack, knowing that the Sheikah guardian would be unable to defend herself properly. "You're not much better than any of your other weak soldiers. Don't you have a stronger warrior for me to duel?"

Impa, who was unable to rise past her hands and knees, glared daggers of fury up at her enemy for reducing her to this. She knew that, since both Link and Lana were preoccupied with taking the western weep, they would be unable to come to her aid, meaning that she was all alone in this fight, but even so, she refused to give up or show any signs of weakness other than physical, which she couldn't really help. "Go to the Dark World, you bastard!" she hissed hatefully, spitting some of the blood that had filled her mouth his way.

Volga wiped the blood off his armor with disgust, glaring down at her just as burningly as she was scowling up at him. "Why don't you go first?" he asked quietly, his voice dripping with venom as he raised his spear to strike her down once and for all. Impa kept up her unyielding dignity though as she simply held her sharp crimson gaze at him, wishing that she could rise to strike him down with all her pent up rage and fury.

However, before the dragon knight could land his hit, he suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain as several small knives hit the back of his arm. Quickly turning around, he was met with a burst of electricity, a simple, quick-paced harp tune entitled the Song of Storms accompanying it.

Sheik moved so quickly that Volga barely even saw her as she continued to pluck of several devastating melodies in fast succession. As the dragon knight tried to hit his elusive new foe with a burst of flame, she countered with a large splay of liquid from the Serenade of Water. When he attempted to strike her down with his spear, she blocked its path using a small, temporary group of trees by playing the Minuet of Forest. With each new attack, the Sheikah warrior could tell that she was wearing him down, but the injured Sheikah guardian simply watched the duel in amazement, unable to believe that Sheik, of all people, had come to her rescue.

"Insolent whelp!" Volga growled to the Sheikah warrior as he managed to block off a few of her kunais. "Stand still already!"

Sheik merely grinned under her face coverings as she shook her head, throwing down an unknown projectile at her feet, vanishing into thin air upon the burst of smoke it had created. No more than a second later, she reappeared, only this time, she was positioned several feet in the air above her enemy. The Sheikah warrior dropped down gracefully, ripping the kunais in her hands deep into the dragon knight savagely and eliciting a heavy shout of pain from him.

Clearly damaged quite a bit by this brutal attack, Volga collapsed to his knees, leaning up against his spear to keep him upright as he scowled up at his triumphant foe. "I was careless…" he admitted, clearly seething with rage. "But next time, it won't end like this!" With another furious shout, the dragon knight's wings appeared and he flew off, thankfully retreating from the keep as the Hylian troops took it at last. However, as he was leaving, Volga cringed at the sound of Cia's disappointed words echoing throughout the valley, clearly aimed at him.

"Why don't you cool down?" she asked bitingly, her words cold enough to the point that the dragon knight could practically see the glare on her face. "It's embarrassing to hear you talk so big and preform so poorly."

Volga, though shamed by this statement, didn't reply to his mistress's admonitions as he simply left, going back to their main base of operations in the Temple of Souls as Cia had instructed him. With an aggravated scoff, the black witch addressed the invading Hylian troops as a whole, her unseen voice dripping with clear bloodlust. "I suppose I will just have to deal with you all myself then…" she said with a sinister chuckle. "So, come on then, all of you! I don't like people dawdling at my doorstep! You want a welcome party? Fine!"

With another cruel laugh, Cia's voice went silent once more, though it was clear to everyone that she had the intention of sending more monsters out their way. But for the moment, Sheik merely ignored that fact as she rushed to Impa, kneeling down beside her and checking over her wounds.

"Are you alright?" the Sheikah warrior asked with concern for the suffering Sheikah guardian, who was still looking at her with disbelief.

"Why… why did you follow me, even when I told you I didn't want your help?" Impa asked evenly, not showing how confused she really was.

"Because you were in need of aid," Sheik said simply as she began to pluck a melody known as the Song of Healing upon her harp, one that somehow helped to ease the pain and bleeding of the Sheikah guardian's injuries.

"That doesn't really answer the question," Impa said with a frown as she denied Sheik's help in standing. "Why do you always refuse to explain anything beyond the simplest of levels?"

"I only said what you wanted to know," the Sheikah warrior said, though her tone was not defensive. "But if you'd like to know why I came to help you, even after you rejected my assistance earlier, that is because I do not believe in abandoning anyone in the battlefield, certainly not the general of the army herself."

Impa said nothing in response to this as her glare slightly softened. Though she still didn't trust Sheik entirely, perhaps, she was starting to realize, she had been wrong about the Sheikah warrior. Maybe she was not a spy or undercover worker for Cia; maybe she truly did want to help the Hylian forces win this war. But even despite this, the Sheikah guardian wasn't willing to give her complete trust to Sheik just yet, even though she had very well saved her life. In fact, the only person that Impa really trusted completely was Princess Zelda alone, not any of her soldiers, or even Link or Lana. And while she still didn't believe that Sheik was truly a member of the Sheikah tribe, Impa decided to at the very least cooperate with the Sheikah warrior for now, knowing that they would all live longer if she did.

"The east keep has been taken," Sheik said with a nod as she glanced around the keep, now full of allied troops. "Link and Lana should have the west covered. We should rendezvous with them as soon as possible." Turning to leave, the Sheikah warrior glanced back at the Sheikah guardian, who was still mulling over her origins and intentions, and beckoned for her to follow her deeper into the battlefield and ever closer to the enemy. "Let's head out!"

* * *

**Well, sorry if this is a bit short, but I wanted to get this stuff outta the way for the big drama in the next chapter. As this was mostly centered on Sheik and Impa, the next chapter will be more about Link, Lana, and of course, Cia! Yay! I can't wait! So, for now, don't forget to drop me a REVIEW and in them, I would very much appreciate it if ya'll gave me your input on something: What characters from the other Zelda games (SS, OoT, and TP) would you like to see appear when the different eras enter into the story, aside from the ones that are already playable characters? Give me your imput, and I'll see what I can do. Just thought a little audience input like that would be cool! Until next time!**


	9. Sorceress of the Valley

_Ok, so this chapter actually kinda wrote itself, thank goodness. Plus, its packed full of everyone's favorite nut, Cia! Yay! She seriously made this chapter so much fun for me to write, for reasons you'll see in a bit. Now, mind you, this chapter is LONG, but that's cause there's so much I had to pack into it. Now, since I answered most of the reviews through PMs (which is my new practice for this story at least), but I will still reply to guest reviews here, so fear not!_

_**Onox2**: That would be funny, and totally awesome on Zelda's part! Actually, I do have something kinda similar to that planned for the Temple of Souls so... we'll have to wait and see... ;D_

_**SkywardOcarina**: You mean the sages? Yeah, I'm considering it, definitely for Saria and Nabooru. And hey, who's to say that OoT Impa might not pop up as well? And yeah, I was worrying about Saria having to leave the forest, but you are right about the whole end credits thing, which always had me confused, but whatever. If I do put Saria in though, you can believe that she'll be using the Deku Rod, since its just so fitting! Groose will most likely be in here, but well, Demise might make things complicated. Darbus is an interesting suggestion, and I really have considered Ashei though!_

_**Sigma73**: All good suggestions, though for reasons I can't disclose yet, putting in the Hero's Shade would make things really confusing later on... And yes, Mahandla is in this chapter, and I think that putting in all the throwbacks from LoZ would have been great too (anything would be better than having to fight the Imprisoned. Geeze!)_

_**Guest**: Ah yes, well... putting the Hero's Shade in would make things SUPER confusing considering who he actually is so... uh, yeah... _

_**ShadowRouge**: She does have some trust issues, and of course she's never played OoT! That would be breaking the fourth wall lol :D_

_Ok, well that's all the guest reviews! Now onto the chapter!_

* * *

_Chapter 8: Sorceress of the Valley_

Unlike Sheik and Impa, Link and Lana cooperated much better in capturing the west ruins keep in a timely manner. Working side by side, the hero and the white sorceress cleared the way through the bokoblins in their path, both of them completely engrossed in the adrenaline of battle. Both of them were fairly fast-paced fighters, and Link's skill with a blade and Lana's prowess of magic were certainly unprecedented and advanced, which was why the two of them were able to conquer the west keep in a matter of minutes, hardly running into any trouble at all.

"Alright!" Lana said cheerfully as soon as they had taken out the last monster inside of the keep. "The west keep is ours! Great work everyone!"

"Looks like Sheik and Impa are just finishing up in the east," Proxi reported to Link after having just flown above the battlefield to get a better vantage point. However, before the hero could translate what the fairy had said to the sorceress, she offered up a response instead.

"Then we should go meet up with them and attack the ruins directly," Lana said, closing her book of sorcery before she prepared to move on ahead, before she noticed the look of confusion that both Link and Proxi were giving her. "What?" she asked innocently, though there was a coy grin on her face.

"You can understand fairies too?" the hero asked her, thinking that he was unique in this ability after what Proxi had told him when they first met.

"Of course!" the white sorceress said with a giggle. "Just one of the many perks of being a sorceress! And believe me, I already know all about how you can, Link. After all, the ability to communicate with fairies is one of the many things that makes the Spirit of the Hero so special…" She gave a small, somewhat wistful sigh before turning to her chipper manner once more. "Now, come on! We don't have any time to waste! We gotta defeat Cia as soon as possible!"

The hero simply nodded in agreement with this as the two carried onwards, plowing through the surrounding bokoblins with ease. The Hylian troops that had gone with them followed in their wake, making sure that no monsters were heading towards their allied base, lest they lose their footing against the enemy altogether.

The path to the entry of the ruins was relatively short, but it quickly became even clearer that Cia was watching the Hylian troops' every move as she cast some of her dark magic out from the top of the ruins. Not wanting to be interrupted by the advancing soldiers just yet, the black witch conjured up a series of dark, twisting, thorny vines, sprouting up tall and thick at the main entry of the ruins. Link and Lana were only a few feet away when the vines sprung up, immediately impairing their only path ahead.

"The entrance to the ruins is blocked by all these weird vines!" Proxi exclaimed to the pair, stating the obvious. "It looks like we're stuck…"

"Not for long," the hero said with determination as he rushed forward towards the dark, wriggling plants, heavily swiping his sword across them. However, it did little to cut them down, barely even leaving much of a dent in them at all as they continued to stand in place, just as stubborn as ever.

Link let out a sight of frustration as he continued to hack away at the vines brutally, with Lana soon joining in by casting a few spells at them, though their efforts were ultimately fruitless. After several minutes of watching their poor attempts however, Cia apparently began to grow bored as she let out an uninterested yawn that echoed throughout the valley like the rest of her statements. "Oh, come on!" she said in exasperation. "Is that really the best you can do? I expected so much more, especially from you, Link…"

Upon hearing these mocking words, the hero could no longer contain his anger towards the black witch, who merely seemed to be toying with all of them and preventing them from finally putting an end to the violent war that had already claimed many lives. "If you want me so badly, then why don't you come down here and face me instead of just blocking our path with these stupid vines!?" Link shouted challengingly back at Cia, knowing that she would hear him. However, in response to his boldness, the black witch simply laughed with aroused pleasure, his words only lighting her burning desire for him all the more.

"Um, Link?" Lana cut in as the hero let out a growl of frustration at his foe not taking him seriously. "I think we have a problem…" Temporarily placing his aggravation towards Cia aside for the moment, Link turned around from the vines to see what Lana was referring to. A group of enemy captains, specifically, armored soldiers known as darknuts, had come up behind the two of them while they were preoccupied with trying to get rid of the vines. There were about four of them, a rather daunting amount considering darknuts were not the easiest foes to bring down, especially considering the fact that the hero and the white sorceress were outnumbered by them, as well as all of the surrounding bokoblins that had joined them.

With only a mutual nod, Link and Lana sprung into action against their foes, both of them taking on two at once. The white sorceress made use of her electrifying barrier magic for both offense and defense, pushing the walls of magic into the darknuts to repel them and damage them. At the same time, the hero moved swiftly and precisely, using his shield to block every attack he didn't dodge before countering with fast, intentional stabs and swipes. However, the darknuts were strong, even for two skilled fighters such as the two of them. Almost at the exact same moment, both Link and Lana sustained an injury from the respective darknuts that they had not been paying mind to. In trying to protect her chest from a hit, the sorceress had one landed across her arm, eliciting a cry of pain from her as it began to bleed, while the hero took a heavy blow to his unarmored right shoulder, the darknut's sword cutting in deep. With no time to heal or recover from their respective injuries, Link and Lana stood back to back in a face-off against the enemies, their breathing heavy as they tried to figure out a way to cut them down all at once. That is, until someone else did that for them.

The darknuts before Lana suddenly fell to the ground in a crumpled heap from a burst of light emitted from behind them, accompanied by a melody known as the Prelude of Light. Likewise, the two darknuts facing Link also collapsed in defeat as a large, heavy blade cut through their middle, downing them almost instantly.

The hero and the white sorceress couldn't help but smile gratefully at the two Sheikah women who had come to their rescue at just the right moment. "It looked like you two needed some help…" Impa mused with a confident smile, sheathing her giant blade.

"We had things under control," Link said with a hint of sarcastic joking in his tone, trying to forget about his earlier frustration over Cia.

"Oh, really?" the Sheikah guardian asked, playing along with him as she looked at the blood pouring down from his wounded shoulder with raised eyebrows. "Then what's that?"

"Oh, you mean this?" the hero asked, still clearly joking as he tried to avoid cringing in pain from the damage done to his shoulder blade. So instead, he simply grinned and shook his head, as if it didn't concern him at all. "Just a scratch."

Impa rolled her eyes at his roughish, playful ways, though it was hard for her to suppress her amused grin, glad that he could take the pain of an injury like this much better than some of her other soldiers. Likewise, Lana giggled a bit at the hero's humorous behavior as she healed up her own arm a bit before working on his shoulder as best as she could. Even Sheik let out a brief chuckle of levity from underneath her face coverings.

"So," Impa said a moment later with renewed seriousness. "What's the situation?"

"The front's blocked," Lana informed her and Sheik with a frown. "We need to find another way into the ruins… If I remember correctly, there should be another entrance in the east, but there's a gorge separating us from it…"

"How are we going to get across then?" Sheik asked as they all turned to look towards the east, which of course, was littered with monsters just like the rest of the valley.

"I think I can come up with something…" the white sorceress said with a sly grin as she prepared to move onward. "Now, come on! Let's get going!"

"What are you all planning…?" Cia's voice suddenly cut through to them, as she had made sure to overhear their conversation. "Well, whatever it may be, you can be certain I'll have a counter strategy!"

Upon hearing the black witch tease them once more, the hero cast a glare towards the top of the ruins, but his anger was quickly calmed by the white sorceress placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder, since she hadn't been able to heal the other one fully, and gave him a small, reassuring smile to calm him down. She certainly understood his frustration; after all, Cia was just prolonging this battle for as long as possible, but for what reason, Lana couldn't figure out.

And yet all the same, the group set out towards the east, cutting a swath through Cia's hordes with gusto and fervor. However, the black witch was quick to mock their efforts once more, her smooth laugh echoing across the valley for all to hear. "Why do you insist on making me wait?" she asked playfully, though there was a hint of true impatience in her tone. "Don't you know I'm awfully bored sitting up here all by my lonesome… Perhaps I'll just have to come knocking at your base to give you a little more… motivation…"

Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik all stopped in their tracks upon hearing this, already guessing that Cia had a plan to attack the allied base. "We can't let her get out base!" the white sorceress exclaimed worriedly, knowing that letting their base fall would be the same as welcoming defeat itself. "We have to do something to protect it!"

"I'll take care of the enemies advancing from the east," Sheik volunteered, knowing that they would descend from the ruins in that direction towards the southern base. "Use that time to get across the gorge."

"Why go that far…?" Impa muttered to herself, giving another suspicious glance to the Sheikah warrior as she wondered why she would offer to fight on the other side of the battlefield at a moment like this.

"I'm coming with you," Link said to Sheik, not wanting to see her get hurt again after what happened in Faron Woods.

The Sheikah warrior merely shook her head, already poising her harp to fight. "No," she said succinctly. "I'll go alone."

Upon hearing this, the Sheikah guardian's cautious gaze turned to an all-out glare. Perhaps she had been wrong in giving Sheik the benefit of the doubt earlier; perhaps, by splitting off from the rest of the group, the Sheikah warrior planned on betraying them still. "In that case, I'll hold the center," Impa said unassumingly, not wanting to tip anyone, not even Link or Lana off to her suspicions. She did, however, want to keep a close eye on Sheik, just in case she was right about her after all.

"Then we'll head towards the gorge," Lana said with resolve. "And we'll all meet up again at the summit so we can face Cia together!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with this plan as they split up, Sheik and Impa taking their separate paths as Link and Lana continued on together. After knocking out a few more monsters, the hero and the sorceress finally made it to the gorge, which was both far too wide and too deep to cross by any conventional means. And yet, Lana didn't let this fact daunt her as she held her book of sorcery out in front of her, letting it rise magically from her hands until it was floating above her head. Link watched with wonder as the white sorceress's book glowed a soft blue color, before, with a small shout, she threw her tome into the gap altogether, much to the hero's shock.

However, Lana only smiled confidently as her book rose up by itself a blue, shimmering magical bridge somehow being formed by it. The bridge filled over the gorge securely, connecting the two land masses and forming a path to the eastern ruins entrance.

"Wow," Link said in awe as him and Lana stepped out onto the surprisingly sturdy bridge, the white sorceress reclaiming her tome as they did so. "Impressive…"

"Thanks," Lana said with a small, bashful blush, brushing a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear. She did her best to hide the fact that any compliment from the hero warmed her heart, but it was hard considering he was right beside her.

Upon finally making it into the only open entryway to the ruins, the pair was once again met with a disheartening sight. Apparently, the vines that Cia had set in place at the main entrance were not the only ones. The wriggling plants still blocked off much of the ruins from the inside, barring their progress still.

"There's vines everywhere!" Proxi exclaimed to Link and Lana after having gone high for reconnaissance once more. "They're even blocking the path to the summit!"

"We need to deal with these things once and for all," the hero said in annoyance as he took down a few stray bokoblins nearby. "Otherwise, we'll get nowhere."

"If I heard correctly, there's some sort of item in the ruins that might be able to help," the white sorceress said, glancing around the ruins. "We have to find it!"

With this new mission in mind, the pair set off in the only direction that they could, to the west. The walkways of the ruins were surprisingly free of monsters, even though the two of them were getting quite close to the black witch herself, who had gone strangely quiet for some reason. However, the keeps that composed the ruins were packed full of monsters, making the task of capturing them all the more difficult. And yet, Link and Lana, as well as the Hylian soldiers following after them, somehow managed to capture one of the inner keeps all the same, even though it took quite a fair bit of work and fighting. With the monsters cleared out of the keep, the item that they had been looking for appeared as if by providence: a simple, yet sturdy wooden boomerang.

"Hey!" Proxi chimed as Link claimed the boomerang. "With that thing, I'd bet anything that we'll finally be able to cut down those vines, no problem!"

"It's worth a shot," the hero said as the white sorceress nodded in agreement, before the two of them rushed towards the summit path once more. And sure enough, it did the trick, knocking down the vines barring the ruins summit, the residual effect cutting down the rest of the vines throughout the valley as well. However, before they could finally make their approach on the summit and the black witch herself, they both failed to notice the group of monsters that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind them until it was too late.

Lana let out a sharp gasp as a sudden burst of pain exploded across her exposed back, blood already pouring from the heavy gash that she had just received from a darknut right behind her. As the sorceress collapsed to her knees in agony, Link was quick to leap between her and the captain, instantly running his blade through its armored chest with enough force to strike it down almost instantly. Upon seeing their leader fall, the resurgent bokoblins retreated, lest they meet a similar fate, leaving the hero to tend to the wounded sorceress. Quickly, Link kneeled down beside Lana, noticing that the cut ran long and thick down her back, completely incapacitating her as she lowered her head, her breathing short and trembling with pain.

"L-Link…" the white sorceress said between agonized gasps of breath. "You… you n-need to go f-fight Cia…"

"But what about you?" the hero asked with immense concern for her poor condition.

"I… I'll be f-fine…" Lana said, cringing from the warm pain flowing down her back. "I-Impa and Sheik s-should be here… s-soon anyway…. N-now go… end t-this war… once a-and for all…"

"Are you sure?" Link asked worriedly, fearing that she would get attacked while he was gone and that she would be unable to defend herself.

"Y-yes…" the white sorceress said, sitting down upon her knees as she held her hand towards her back, already starting to work her healing magic upon it. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, her heart warmed by the fact that he was showing so much concern for her, but even so, she knew what had to be done, even despite her own injuries.

Though hesitant to leave Lana behind, the hero also understood this, knowing that if they did not strike against the black witch now, they might not have the chance later. However, before Link left, he made sure to ask Proxi to stay behind with the white sorceress and alert him at the first sign of trouble, which the fairy dutifully agreed to. And, after casting one more concerned glance at his wounded ally, the hero rushed up the steps to the summit, to where the black witch certainly stood in wait.

* * *

The first thing that Link noticed upon entering the summit keep was not the fact that it was filled to the brim with many different types of monsters, which was to be expected after all. Instead, what caught his eye even more was the large circular portal towards the back of the keep, from which an immense amount of dark magic was pouring forth, creating more and more monsters with each passing second. No doubt, this was the Gate of Souls that Lana had spoken of, and the woman standing before it with her back turned to the hero, summoning the monsters forth from the gate, could be none other than Cia herself.

At first, it seemed as though the black witch had not noticed Link as he arrived, and even more bewildering was the fact that none of the monsters within the keep were making so much as a single move to attack him at all. However, no less than a moment later, a sudden flash of golden light emitted from the back of Cia's hand, something that she clearly noticed as she lowered her lifted hands, halting her magic for a moment to examine the glow.

"Oh?" she mused to herself, a dark grin spreading across her face as she realized that the object of her affections had finally come to her. With a small laugh, the black witch finally turned to face the hero, who already had his sword drawn and ready to fight her, even as the two of them stared each other down.

Cia's physical appearance had been far from what Link had been expecting based on Lana's description of her. He had thought that the woman who once bore the title "Observer of Time" would be a bit more chaste in her dress, but it was clear that the black witch's intention was to show off as much of her body as possible. And indeed, she was quite beautiful, with a tall, shapely, pronounced figure and warm, caramel skin. Her face, however, was obscured behind a mask that bore semblance to a bird in some ways, its nose curving over Cia's own. From underneath her concealing mask, some of her short white locks of hair peeked out, though most of it was covered by her violet and gold headdress. Tufts of red feathers peeked out from the metal bracer upon her right shoulder along with a strip of lavender fabric that furled out onto her back, and on that arm, her purple sleeve ran long past her hand. Her left arm was bare aside from the copious amounts of golden decorations she wore upon it, including a heavy bracelet around her wrist. Her chest armor, if it could even be called that since there was so little there, ran very low, curving around her breasts and rejoining below her navel. Aside from being showy in her chest area, the near-entirety of her left leg was uncovered save for a golden bracelet around it, revealing the twisted red marks she bore running down her leg down to her gold and violet boots. Her other leg was entirely covered, and from her golden array of belts came the back half of a long skirt that splayed out behind her. Overall, her entire appearance would be enough to distract any man by simply looking at her, but the hero had fortunately never been swayed by such shallow showings of a woman's body and now was certainly not the time to let himself be taken in by such things.

"Ah..." Cia said with a lustful smile as she took Link's appearance in, her pink lips curling into an even more seductive smile. "Link… the great hero… At _last _you've come to see me… Stand still for a moment, and let me get a good look at you…" With another small chuckle, the black witch began to step towards the hero, her hidden eyes practically burning with desire for him. All the while, Link kept a focused glare on his foe, keeping his guard up no matter what, just in case she decided to launch some sort of sneak attack on him.

"I do apologize for the rather… uncouth attempts made on your life by my foolish little cohorts, Volga and Wizzro…" the black witch went on, savoring each step she got closer to him. "They were only supposed to capture you and bring you to me. After all, the last thing I want is to see you dead, my dear, beloved hero…"

Upon hearing her disturbing words, Link tightened his grip on his sword, especially as Cia got closer to him. "Why do you want me so badly anyway?" he asked her, his voice nowhere near as bold as he wanted it to be. "And if you do capture me, what are you going to do then?"

"Both very good questions, my dear…" the black witch said as she began to circle him, eyeing him as if he were her prey. "That's what I like about you spirit bearers: you always want to get right to the point." Cia paused for a moment when she made her way completely behind him, knowing that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye, but nonetheless, he was unable to do anything as she quickly reach her hand out towards him, placing her fingertips upon the back of his neck ever so slightly and using her magic to paralyze him where he stood. The hero panicked upon realizing that he couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried, knowing that he was now completely at the mercy of the black witch and whatever untoward things she planned on doing to him.

* * *

Lana let out a sigh of relief when she finally caught sight of Impa and Sheik approaching her. She was just about finished healing her back, even though she knew that it would still most likely ache for a while, but it would have to do for now. Slowly, the white sorceress attempted to stand, but she found that she was still in too much pain to do that at the moment, something that both Sheikah women realized as they rushed to her aid.

"Are you alright?" Impa asked as she lent a hand to help Lana up.

"Yeah," the white sorceress said, cringing with pain as she fully stood, still relying on the Sheikah guardian for support for a moment or two.

"Where's Link?" Sheik asked, glancing around and noticing that the hero was nowhere in sight.

"He went to face Cia," Lana replied, nodding towards the ruins keep at the top of the nearby stairs.

"Alone?" the Sheikah warriors asked with concern, unhidable worry filling her ruby eyes. She understood just how dangerous it could possibly be to send anyone into the den of their main foe alone, but Sheik began to fear for Link's safety and wellbeing in going head to head with Cia on his own. "I have to help him."

"Don't you mean _we _have to help him?" Impa asked suspiciously, very much on edge at the possibility that Sheik was about to turn them all over to Cia, especially Link.

However, the Sheikah warrior did not offer up a response as she simply went on ahead, hoping that she could make it to the hero's side before it was too late.

* * *

Satisfied that Link wouldn't put up a resistance to her, Cia moved in closer to him, her eyes running up and down his form with obvious lust. "Mm…." she mused softly as she committed everything about him to memory. "Very nice… Tall, strong, _incredibly _handsome… As usual…" The black witch let out a sultry laugh as she came to stand right in front of the hero, leaning into his face as he tried to avert the haunting glow that the slitted eyes of her mask gave off. "Ah…" she said with a yearning sigh, taking him by the chin and forcing him to meet her gaze. "Those eyes… Just as beautifully blue as they were in your past lives… So pure… So courageous… So… _irresistible…"_ Knowing that Link wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her, Cia leaned in even closer, sensually pushing herself up against his body until her hands were pressed against his chest and her breath was caressing his neck. Even though he was paralyzed, she could still feel him tremble against her touch, as well as feel his heart pounding in his chest at her incredible closeness to her, his fear thrilling her more and more with each passing second.

"Yes…" Cia whispered as she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly, gently brushing her lips against his neck in soft, carnal kisses as the hero kept his eyes tightly shut so he wouldn't have to see, even though he could still feel the sensation that made his skin crawl. He had never felt more violated in his entire life, and yet, as much as he wanted to break free from her hold, he was absolutely powerless to. "Oh…" the black witch let out a heavy sigh as she moved her lips to his cheek, giving it a long, drawn out kiss. "My love…" she whispered softly, her voice seeming to tremble itself even despite her former confidence. "My hero…" Her hands began to move down the hero's chest slowly, her own heart swelling as he felt his muscles tense as she got lower and lower. "_My _Link…" Her voice was barely audible as her hands finally got to the point that they were far too low for his comfort, and even though Link was utterly restricted, he was not about to consent to what she seemed to want to do.

"S-stop!" he finally exclaimed nervously, his breathing tense as he did everything in his power to pull himself away from her, even if he still couldn't. And yet, much to his surprise, Cia complied for some reason, her hands moving from their uncomfortable position to the sides of his face instead.

"And still so innocent I see…" she said with a coy, playful laugh, knowing that she had gotten the better of him. "But all the same, I suppose there will be time for such things later…" At long last, the black witch finally let him go, breaking her spell upon him as she turned and walked away from him slowly, her hips deliberately sashaying all the while. "After all…" she said with a hint of darkness in her tone as she took her place before the Gate of Souls once more. "First things first…"

Looking to her still-glowing hand once more, Cia held out her palm as Link took up his defensive position once more, refusing to let her trap him like that again. However, he could only look on in confusion as a small golden triangle appeared floating above her hand, its aura shining brightly amidst the darkness filling the keep.

"The Triforce is resonating so powerfully with you here, Link…" the black witch said with greed in her tone rather than lust. "Just as I knew it would…"

The hero glared sharply at his foe, but before he could say anything, another voice finally interrupted them. "Link!" Sheik exclaimed, rushing towards him as fast as she could. She came to stop at his side, looking him over to make sure that he was unharmed, which, for the most part, he was. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Link said with a nod, masking well the disturbing experience he had just been through thanks to the black with. "I am."

However, less than a second after the Sheikah warrior entered into the keep, Cia's constant grin finally faded as she held her golden triangle, the Triforce of Power, out even more as its glow brightened almost two fold, the power radiating from it increasing dramatically. "Two…" she murmured to herself, clenching the piece of the golden power into her fist as her grin returned. "Oh, I see… And here I was thinking that I would have to go on a hunt for the last piece, but it turns out that you two have brought them both to me at once… That's certainly welcome news… Unfortunately, the ritual is not yet complete, so I'm afraid I'll have to keep you all at bay for just a little while longer…"

With another dark laugh, Cia quickly spun around to face the Gate of Souls once more, not even giving Link or Sheik, as well as Lana and Impa, who had just arrived at the entryway of the keep themselves, any time to react. An immense amount of dark energy began to pour forth from the gate as the black witch held up her hands up towards it, the Triforce of Power sparkling brightly upon the back of her hand. "Come forth, servant!" she commanded firmly, beckoning forth a new monster from the gate. "Come and send these wretched fools to their graves!"

As Cia spoke, the resounding quake centered in the middle of the valley began to rumble violently, prompting the group of warriors to quickly look over in that direction. From their high vantage point upon the summit, they were able to clearly see what manner of beast the black witch had called to the battlefield.

Four long, thorny plant-like stalks ripped forth from the dry earth, each one of them bearing a large head with a vicious, sharp-toothed maw, somewhat similar in appearance to a Deku Baba only much more dangerous. The stalks and heads were rooted to a thickly covered bulb, which did not root it to the ground, allowing it to move around slowly. The entire beast was covered in what appeared to be some sort of a metallic hide, making it difficult for the Hylian troops already working to attack it to do any sort of damage. The plant let out a deafening screech as it held one of its four heads high, launching a large, explosive seed in the direction of the allied base, which was only a few meters south of its position.

"It's a Manhandla!" Lana exclaimed with a gasp, informing the rest of the group about this new monster. "It's launching an attack on our base! We have to do something about it!"

Before anyone could say anything else however, they all heard Cia's wicked laughter coming from behind them, and yet, as they spun around to face her once more, they found that she had completely vanished.

"She got away!" Impa said with a scowl of aggravation.

"We'll deal with her later," Link said, already leading the way back down to the middle of the valley with his sword brandished. "Right now, we need to take that thing out!"

Without another moment's waste, everyone followed after the hero, rushing down towards Manhandla as it continued to rage around violently, spitting seeds at the allied base every few seconds. The creature's attack patterns were erratic, but certainly deadly as quickly spun around like a whirlwind, knocking every soldier in its path down and wounding, if not killing them all indefinitely. However, upon noticing the four warriors approach it, it quickly joined its four heads together before spitting a barrage of small seeds at them, quite a few of them making direct hits and causing minor burns upon contact. And yet, this certainly didn't stop any of them as they tried everything in their power to land a hit upon Manhandla, whose armored skin protected it from any and all harm. And yet, as soon as its seed attack was finished, its armor apparently seemed to briefly dissipate for a moment, revealing its organic green flesh before metal covered it once more, something that gave Proxi an idea the moment she saw it.

"Hey, Link!" the fairy said, flying in close to the hero as he fought. "Wait until that monster has exposed itself, right after it attacks, and then hit it with your boomerang! Maybe that will stun it enough for us to attack it!"

Link nodded in agreement with this advice and put it to good use as Manhandla held its four heads together, this time in a line, in preparation to lash out once more. Not missing a single beat, the hero swung the boomerang he had retrieved earlier and sure enough, it struck each of the heads in a quick succession. However, instead of the heads simply collapsing to the ground, they did something that was even more fortunate for the Hylian troops, they recoiled altogether and caused the shielding around its bulb to fall, revealing its internal weak point.

At once, all of the nearby soldiers, as well as Link, Lana, Sheik and Impa converged on the monster, knowing that they had a perfect opportunity to damage it. They attacked its weak point brutally, knowing from experience that they would only have a short amount of time do to so before it recovered.

When Manhandla finally did recover, it did so by spinning quickly, its heads righting themselves as it recovered its weak point and knocked all of its attackers away from it roughly. However, before the Hylian troops could attempt to strike it again, the entire beast suddenly plunged down into the rocky earth that it had come from, leaving not so much as a trace behind.

"That monster is still alive!" Proxi said, still able to sense Manhandla's presence somewhere in the battlefield. "I think it just fled underground for now, but it will be back!"

The fairy could not have spoken any more truthfully, for but a moment after she said this, about five Manhandla stalks, all independent of their base bulb, appeared in various portions of the battlefield, all of them spitting seeds towards the allied base at once with the hopes of damaging it. The Hylian troops all over the valley took note of this as they all rushed towards the nearest stalk without hesitation, all of them working to cut down the armorless plants.

"Keep calm!" Lana urged before the group of four split off to take down the stalks themselves. "If we hit the right stalk, the main body should pop out so we can end this!"

"What is this, hide-and-seek?" Impa asked in exaggeration, her giant blade already poised to attack as she cut down one of the stalks that had appeared only a few feet away from their location. "Fine! If we must, then we must!"

The group split up once more, each one heading to attack a different Manhandla stalk along with the rest of the soldiers. Sheik was the first to tear her respective stalk down, tearing through its thorny flesh with her kunais, only to see that it did little to bring the full creature back to the surface.

"This one wasn't it!" she exclaimed as loudly as she could so that her allies could hear her.

At the same time, Impa cut her blade through the head of another stalk, likewise seeing no results as it collapsed to the ground. "Neither was this one!"

Link ran his sword through yet another stalk, knowing that their numbers were running thin, especially as this one shriveled up and merely died like the rest of them. "Looks like there's only one left!" he called, and at that very moment, all three of them turned to see Lana take down the last Manhandla stalk with a burst of magic, the full body of the beast ripping forth from the earth almost immediately afterwards.

"Found it!" the white sorceress exclaimed with a bright grin. "It won't escape this time! We've got it right where we want it!"

After this juncture, the second half of the battle played out much like the first. Manhandla stuck to its old tactics once more, and the troops made sure to stay clear of it as it spun around or spread a field of poison around itself. Watching its moves carefully, Link tossed the boomerang towards it after its heads became vulnerable after another seed attack, and sure enough, the bulb peeled itself away once more. With its weak point open, the warriors all attacked it relentlessly, pounding away at it until Manhandla's heads shriveled up and the plant beast finally withered in defeat. The Hylian troops let out a triumphant cheer at their victory, but Link, Lana, Impa and Sheik knew that there was still an even bigger foe that had to be faced.

"Hurry!" Lana called to her allies as they began to rush back to the summit. "We have to get back to Cia immediately!"

Since the battlefield was now clear of the black witch's forces, returning to the summit keep was easy and quick. However, upon making it back to the lair of their foe, the four of them found that Cia was still nowhere in sight. The only thing there was the Gate of Souls, still swirling with darkness just as it had before.

The four of them didn't exchange any words or plans, just in case their enemy was watching them from nearby, which she certainly was. Instead, they all exchanged a resolved glance as they turned to look ahead to the Gate of Souls, knowing that if they were to close it, then it would finally stem the tide of monsters that had been viciously attacking Hyrule for weeks now.

Link was the first one to take a step towards the gate, however, the very moment he set his foot down, a sudden circle of darkness spread out upon the ground surrounding the group. Lana let out a gasp upon seeing this and quickly flipped high out of its path, already knowing that this was Cia's doing, but the hero and the two Sheikah women had not been as quick. As the white sorceress landed on the ground behind the circle, she watched with wide, worried eyes as dark energy flowed out from it, enveloping the trio as it somehow froze their feet in place, incapacitating them from escaping it.

"W-what is this?!" Impa demanded, trying to move as much as Link and Sheik were, but failing.

"Link, look!" Proxi called out to the hero as she flittered beside him. "Your hand!"

Already feeling the burst of warmth upon the back of his hand, Link lifted it to see the mark of the Triforce of Courage glowing brightly upon it, even moreso than it had the first time he had seen it weeks ago in Hyrule Field. However, the hero wasn't the only one to experience this phenomenon, as he glanced over and saw another piece of the Triforce, this time the lower left triangle, shimmering on the back of Sheik's hand. The Sheikah warrior's eyes were unreadable as she looked upon it, but both Impa and Link looked at her with absolute confusion and shock, especially the Sheikah guardian, whose mind was racing for an answer as to how Sheik had even obtained it.

"Sheik!" Lana exclaimed, having also noticed the two glowing Triforce marks on the backs of their bearers hands, though she didn't understand why they were reacting this much. "That's-"

However, before the white sorceress could finish, both the hero and the Sheikah warrior let out a unified cry of pain, both of them cringing from the sudden internal agony they were feeling, no doubt an effect of the dark magic circle they were trapped in. Impa did not feel such a sensation, but both Link and Sheik certainly did as the two of them doubled over, gasping in sharp pain as they felt as if something had reached inside of them and was savagely searching for something. And, no more than a moment after it had begun, the pain climaxed for both of them as this force drew something from deep within them both. The pieces of the Triforce on the backs of their hands flashed brightly until, with one more anguished pull, the Triforce of Courage was torn from Link and the third piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Wisdom, was ripped away from Sheik. Though they were still stuck in place by the magic circle, the hero and the Sheikah warrior almost collapsed to the ground, both of them still immensely weakened and pained from the dark magic's effect on them as the lost pieces of the golden relic drifted away from them, and towards the one who had stolen them instead.

Cia let out a malicious laugh as she stepped forward from the Gate of Time, having reappeared to claim her prize. A thick dark aura surrounded her now as the two pieces of the Triforce glided over to her, joining their companion on the back of her hand and giving the black witch the complete Triforce.

"How nice of you to bring me the Triforce of Wisdom as well as the Triforce of Courage!" Cia said with another triumphant chuckle. "You don't know how happy this makes me… Especially since you were the one to bring them to me, my dear hero…" The black witch gave Link a flirtatious smile, but the hero remained on his guard as she stepped closer to all of them slowly, her footsteps echoing throughout the keep as tension began to mount. The magic circle finally dissipated and, since Link and Sheik had recovered enough, they both joined Impa in taking up an offensive stance against Cia, while Lana hesitated in doing so as she watched the black witch, whom she had once been so close to, with both dread and concern.

The black witch came to a stop as she held her hands, allowing the three unconnected pieces of the Triforce to hover over them as she looked at them with greed and delight. "Now, I finally have all three pieces…" she said as the ominous aura around her darkened even more. "How wonderful…"

With her dark smirk still apparent, Cia held her hands out as the Triforce levitated from her palms and joined together into its formal shape right above her. "Behold…" she said as her voice shook with excitement, her gaze locked solely on the hero as she knew that if what she was about to do didn't impress him than nothing would. "The majesty of the Triforce!"

The golden relic shined brightly as its power was put to use, something that the white sorceress immediately recognized as she looked towards the hero, fearing that the black witch intended to use its might to capture him or worse. "No!" Lana exclaimed fearfully as they all stared up at Cia and the Triforce in awe and dread. "Link! Run!" Before the hero could even protest, the white sorceress was quick to gasp him by the hand tightly, knowing that she had to lead him to safety before the black witch could get to him and subject him to her lustful desires.

As the ground started to shake violently, both Impa and Sheik also joined Link and Lana as they fled from the summit, knowing that Cia now wielded was too much for any of them to stand against right now. And so, instead, they simply retreated along with the rest of the Hylian troops, knowing that it was the only safe option they had right now.

All the while, the black witch continued to summon the power of the Triforce to act upon her wicked intentions. And, her already sinister grin deepened even more when she heard the telltale voice speaking to her from inside of her heart, giving her instructions on what to do now that the golden power was in her grasp. _"Cia…" _the dark voice whispered to her, though it seemed louder now than it ever had before. _"The time to call forth the fragments of my spirit is NOW."_ The deep voice laughed wickedly in time with the black witch, whose excitement was uncontainable as she kept her hands aloft, still in completely command of the Triforce.

"Yes…" Cia answered, the eyes of her mask glowing a bright orange in response to the darkness in her heart. "I can feel them seeking me out… I shall reunite them once more…" Her wicked chuckle growing ever louder and wilder, the black witch thrust her hands up into the air, darkness pouring from the Gate of Souls behind her in excessive amounts as she let out a powerful shout. Power overwhelmed her, filling every fiber of her being, but Cia treasured the exhilarating feeling, having never known such immense strength before as she watched with triumph as both her magic and the might of the Triforce did their work.

* * *

Not pausing for a single second, Link, Lana, Sheik and Impa continued to hurry away from Cia and the summit, though they could all feel the intense amount of dark energy that was overtaking the land. None of them had any idea what the black witch was exactly doing now that the power of the Triforce was in her grasp, but they all knew that whatever her plans were, they certainly couldn't be good.

However, as a strong explosion of darkness emitted from behind them, none of them could help but stop in their tracks and finally turn around to see what was happening. All of them gasped in complete shock upon seeing the funnel of darkness swirling up from the summit, spiraling up even into the pitch black clouds covering the heavens all over the land. And, from this tunnel, a sudden shockwave began to plow out from the center of it, quickly spreading its course over the entire kingdom and rippling the ground and everything in it in its wake.

Lana's violet eyes widened upon seeing this wave getting closer and closer to their position with each passing second as it raced across Hyrule at a frightening speed. "Everyone!" she called to her allies as she turned around to face them. "Gather around me! Quick!"

Link, Sheik and Impa didn't hesitate to listen to her as they stepped closer to the white sorceress, who was quick to toss her tome of sorcery high up into the air, a blue glow emitting from it as Lana leaped gracefully up to catch it. As she did so, her hand sparkling with magical energy as she landed, casting a sturdy force field around the group the moment as touched the ground, just as the dark wave converged over them.

And it was at that moment, that absolute chaos erupted.

From within the safety of the energy field, the hero, the white sorceress, and the two Sheikahs watched with absolute awe as the world shifted and twisted all around them. Time and nature itself seemed to collapse as the dark energy changed everything it touched, making everything hazy and burred for what seemed like ages. That is, until it's intended effects upon the kingdom could finally be seen.

From the darkened skies above, a large island began to sink down from one of the portals that the energy wave had created. However, this land mass, which seemed to bear a large town upon it, was not surrounded by water, but rather suspended within the sky itself. The ground directly below it, which was to the north west of Hyrule Castle, was completely reformed as the shockwave spread over it, changing from the grassy plains it had once been into a deep, spiraling pit surrounded by a lush forest, an ancient temple standing directly before it.

The outer forests near Faron Woods, to the south of the Valley of Seers, lost its natural lushness as a rock mountain range engulfed it, topping off in a central mountain surrounded by a circular cloud of smoke. To the east of this, a large lake appeared out of once dry land, a treacherous temple buried deep underneath of it.

The fields southwest of the castle were suddenly engulfed in shadows as the land transformed, coloring the blue skies above the golden colors of Twilight. A long stone bridge formed over a vast chasm that had been impassable for many years, and a small village rose up as well. Just to the north of this, a gateway to an entirely different world, one that was eternally drenched in Twilight, appeared out of nowhere, much like the rest of the changes that had just shaken up the kingdom entirely.

All the group of four could do as they looked out across the transformed Hyrule was stare in shock at the signs of eras long gone by, somehow restored and returned to the kingdom just as they were when they had been present. Somehow, Cia had cause time itself to converge, uniting both past and present all at once.

* * *

"_Gate of Souls…" _the dark voice called out from the black witch, who still remained at the summit, feeling the immense aftereffects of pouring out so much energy at once. _"Hear my voice… And open! At last, my spirit will be freed!"_

With an huge amount of dark magic still swirling around her and through her body, Cia, who was not entirely in control of her own actions at the moment, held her hands high into the air, forming an orb of evil energy before quickly letting it loose across the land. The orb shot high into the air, splitting in three and skyrocketing into the other eras that she had summoned using the Triforce.

One piece of the orb sped through the halls of the Water Temple, lying in the depths of Lake Hylia in the era of the Hero of Time, before bursting inside of its central chamber, creating another Gate of Souls. Likewise, another gate was formed within the throne room of the Palace of Twilight, which stood within the Twilight Realm split off from Hyrule. The last Gate of Souls formed within right before the legendary Gate of Time within the Sealed Temple of the long forgotten era of the goddess Hylia.

The residual darkness that poured from all of these gates immediately stirred up the evil lying in wait within the three stone coffins that rested before them while all manner of monsters were summoned to guard them in every era. As this was happening, the chains barring the split pieces of the spirit of evil were broken, finally freeing the malevolent force that had been kept at bay for generations. With all of the eras joined together, nothing was keeping the fragments of the evil spirit from racing from their former prisons and meeting together directly above the black witch within a matter of moments.

The dark force inside of Cia swelled with evil excitement as the three pieces of the wicked spirit circled above the black witch's head as she held her hands up, before they all converged and struck her, making her their new host. Cia let out a brief cry of pain and doubled over at this, clutching her chest as the intense power their possessed poured through her body, but her agony was very brief as she began to recover, breathing heavily as she listened to the voice speaking solely to her, no longer a mere whisper as it had been before as it spoke to every single fiber of her being.

"_Excellent work, child…" _the evil presence said with a dark, triumphant chuckle, knowing it was one step closer to its ultimate revival. _"Three fragments of my spirit have been returned… The only piece that remains is the one trapped by the Master Sword, and once it is free, you will certainly have your hero you desire so…"_

Cia joined the voice in a dark, sinister laugh as she lifted her head, flames of darkness surrounding her form as the eyes of her mask began to glow ominously once more. "Yes…" she whispered, her body tingling with excitement as she remembered just how close she had been to claiming the hero as her own. And, now that she wielded such power, he was perhaps the only thing that she lacked, but she knew that he could not evade her forever. Even if he did not love her yet, she would destroy everything that kept him from her, and she would make him her own once and for all. "He will be mine and mine alone…" she said distantly, her heavy lust blinding her from the hidden evil intent of her supposed benefactor. "No matter what I have to do…"

* * *

**Yay! All the eras have been joined together! Also Cia! Yay! I hope I didn't lay it on too thick with her trying seduce Link and all, but I have to say that was actually my favorite part of the chapter to write! Haha! What can I say? I ship it! Anyway, you all better believe that this isn't the last we're gonna see of Cia, since I have big plans for one of my favorite HW characters! But, for next time, we're gonna have a bit of a break chapter before everyone splits off and whatnot, with relatively little fighting and mostly character development and a chance for our heroes to breathe. Anyway, I'd just like to say before I go that I loved hearing all of your suggestions for characters from the different games, and while I'm sorry to say that I can't put EVERYONE you guys suggested in here, I have planned a few guest appearances out, so keep you eyes open for them! But for now, I'd like to ask you guys another question, as I think will become my new tradition with this story, since you all are such responsive reviews: Who is your favorite character to play as in Hyrule Warriros and why? My personal favorites include Sheik (she's so fast), Twili Midna (Incredibly powerful!), and Link (because he's my bae). So, feel free to let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	10. Separate Ways

_Ok, so Merry (late) Christmas everyone! I personally had a great (but very busy) holiday, which was why this chapter took so long. You know, spending time with the family and whatnot. Not to mention both a terrible writer's block and abysmal internet connection. And yet, I managed to get this long, mostly not even canon to the story of HW chapter done for you all to enjoy, so yay! But yeah, like I just said, most of this chapter is not actually part of the game, all of the backstorish stuff came out of my brain, but I hope you all will like it, since its good for character building! Now onto the guest reviews!_

_**sigma73**: All will be revealed in due time, my friend... Let's just say I have it all planned out and the Hero's Shade may appear, but not in the way you may think... ;)_

_**GrayishGirl**: I'm really glad you're enjoying it!_

_**ShadowRouge**: Hahaha, he really does though! I'm also glad you like the detail! Personally, I love playing as Link and Midna, but I think Zelda is only good with her dominion rod and Darunia's a little clunky for me, but that's just me._

_**CiaFTW**: Putting the different Links and Zeldas in? Who would ever think to do that? (wink wink) But yes, I do agree that would be super cool... We'll just have to see if it will happen though... And, depending on what's in the MM pack, we might see some stuff from it in here... ;)_

_**Tragedymakesahero**: I'm very glad that you like it! When i write, I always try to make things cinematic, so that it plays out in the reader's mind like a movie! The very next chapter after this one just so happens to be TP, so I'm excited for it too! In answer to whether or not i plan on including the other Links... We'll just have to wait and see! ;D I do understand what you mean though about TP Link having a sort of darker character, as I think so too. And as far as a tragic backstory for HW Link goes, I think you will be quite pleased with this chapter, then! I agree that tragedy makes a hero, something that I always try to incorporate in my writing, something that I hope shines through here! I also agree that Link is great and versatile to play as, and he does really have sort of an anime dynamic going on, which is really cool!_

_Ok, well that's it for now! Let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 9: Separate Ways_

The land of Hyrule had been torn asunder to the point that it hardly resembled the unified, consistent kingdom it had once been. Now, it much rather resembled a patchwork quilt, with large portions of it replaced with lands from other times entirely, all of which seemed quite out of place when viewed as a bigger picture. The aura of ominous darkness that had fallen upon the land was quite noticeable, certainly a product of the powerful magic Cia had spread across the kingdom. The shockwaves had finally ended, and it seemed as though Hyrule was stable enough, but thanks to the black witch's strike, monsters were pouring forth from the different eras more heavily than ever. It was clear that the source of the rampaging creatures were the Gate of Souls located in each era, spreading out across Hyrule and most likely bringing chaos to the time periods that they originated from as well.

Lana had explained all of this to her allies in full detail as soon as they were sure that the Hyrulian troops were safe and sound in the aftermath of the shockwaves, which most of them fortunately were. A scout team had been sent back into the now-empty Valley of Seers to hunt for Cia, but she had mysteriously vanished without a trace after time was united, as did all of the monsters under her command. With no clear lead on the location of their foe, the Hylian forces were left with no choice but to regroup and come up with a new strategy, one that would hopefully bring peace to the battered kingdom at long last.

"If we can go to each of the three eras, maybe we'll have a chance of closing all of the Gates of Souls in them and stop the monsters from coming," the white sorceress informed the hero and the two Sheikahs as they convened together near the entrance of the valley. "And, if we're lucky, then doing that should also close up all of the portals as well."

"But where do we even start?" Impa asked as she glanced around at the portions of the different eras, all of which could be clearly seen from their vantage point. "That's an awful lot of ground to cover and we simply don't have that kind of time on our hands anymore. This situation is getting worse and worse with each passing day and if we don't put a stop to it soon, then there may not be a Hyrule left to save."

"Maybe we should split up," Link suggested. "We can all take a few troops with us and close each gate at the same time. That way we can go in and get out quickly, before things can get any worse."

"Great idea, Link!" Lana chimed with a bright smile. "And once we're done, we'll come back here and stop Cia in her tracks once and for all! Now, let's decide who's going where…" The white sorceress turned from the rest of the group to face the isle hovering above them in the sky to the west. "Over there is the ancient island in the sky, which the old goddess Hylia lifted up from the earth herself during the great war," she said, calling upon her vast knowledge of Hyrule's history. "Its inhabitants called it Skyloft and they say a peaceful, prosperous city rested up there, but I'm sure it's being attacked by all sorts of monsters now, thanks to Cia…"

"I'll go up there," the hero volunteered with resolve, also looking up to Skyloft.

"Ok, then," Lana said with a nod to Link. "There should be a pillar of light somewhere below the base of the island that will get you up there. Next is that huge mountain near Faron, which comes from the period of the Hero of Time. It's called Death Mountain, and it was an ancestral home to the strong Goron tribe."

"I can travel there," the Sheikah guardian offered, already knowing that such a dangerous terrain was well-suited for her skills.

"Ok, then," the white sorceress nodded in agreement. "I guess that leaves the Era of Twilight to me!" she said, referring to the lands to the southwest that were blanketed in shadows before turning to the only member of the group who was undecided. "What about you, Sheik?"

Though the Sheikah warrior seemed to ponder this question for a moment, it was apparent that her mind was already made based on how she responded. "I'll go to the Era of the Hero of Time with Impa," she said in her constant mysterious tone, though the Sheikah guardian was more caught off guard with this decision than anyone else.

"_What_?" Impa asked a bit too sharply, catching looks of confusion from both Link and Lana, though Sheik's expression remained as calm and stoic as ever.

"Is there a problem, Impa?" the hero asked with a frown, knowing nothing about the first general's distrust for their ally.

The Sheikah guardian held her tongue upon hearing this question, exchanging a subtly shifty glance between the hero, the white sorceress, and the Sheikah guardian, her expression cross yet unreadable. Even though Sheik had come to her aid in facing Volga earlier, Impa still had her doubts and suspicions about the Sheikah warrior, feelings that only grew upon hearing that she wanted to go with her, but for what reason, the first general had no idea. Impa couldn't help but be wary of the strange sort of fixation that Sheik seemed to have on her, one that apparently prompted her to try and follow the Sheikah guardian anywhere she went. But as much as Impa didn't like or understand it, she knew that the other two members of the group, in all of their apparent innocence and trusting, would most likely not sympathize with the Sheikah guardian's desire to not have the Sheikah warrior go with her. And so, she simply decided to let the matter be for now. After all, perhaps if the two of them were to travel together, then Impa would be able to keep a close eye on Sheik and finally uncover any sort of ruse that she might still be putting up. Even though it might have been somewhat risky, it was a chance that the Sheikah guardian was willing to take to finally get to the bottom of this.

"There's no problem," Impa said succinctly, averting everyone's gaze as she glared off to the side. "I'll spread word to the troops. We'll split up at daybreak. For now, start setting up camp; we'll need our rest."

The other three nodded in agreement with this, none of them even giving the Sheikah guardian's hesitation a second thought whatsoever. Without any more deliberation, the group slip up to different tasks as twilight began to fall upon the empty, barren area that the Hylian troops were going to spend the night within. It seemed safe enough of a spot considering the fact that Cia's forces had seemed to have moved on, but even so, once the Hylian soldiers were settled in, they made sure to set up a watch around their encampment, just in case there was a chance they could be assailed in the middle of the night. By the time all of the tents were set up and several small fires had been built, night had fallen and everyone had started to rest, knowing that their next mission certainly called for it, especially considering the battles of the past day alone.

Though the grounds near the Valley of Seers were arid and warm during the day, the temperatures dropped significantly at night, something that Link and Sheik were quick to discover as they sat near one of the fires alone, as both Lana and Impa were preoccupied. The white sorceress was busy using her magic to tend to some of the wounded soldiers while the Sheikah guardian prepared a convoy to send back to the castle so that the rest of the kingdom would be properly informed about the events of the war thus far. Since they had relatively little they had to do, the hero and the Sheikah warrior had both opted to rest near the warm fire and yet, even after they had finished off their meager dinner rations, there had not been much conversation between them. Though Link had tried multiple times to start one, Sheik would only ever answer him with a nod or a simple "yes" or "no". While the hero didn't distrust the Sheikah warrior like Impa did, he couldn't help but be curious about her, especially since she came off as so mysterious and fascinating, even if she wasn't much for conversing like he was.

"So…" Link began somewhat awkwardly, glancing over at Sheik as she intently watched the fire before them. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"As far as I recall, you've been doing that very thing for the past half hour," the Sheikah warrior said not with annoyance, but with joking sarcasm instead. "But you may ask whatever you wish."

"Why did you volunteer to go with Impa earlier?" the hero asked curiously, simply wondering about the reasoning for such a choice and little else.

Sheik didn't answer his question right away as she continued to gaze into the fire, the flames making her crimson eye seem to burn even more. And, when she finally did answer, her response was surprisingly complex and detailed. "Because I noticed the exact same thing that you did in the woods earlier," she said, her voice carrying a bit more emotion than it normally did. "She is greatly troubled by the princess's disappearance, more than anyone else is. Of course, it only makes sense; after all, she practically raised Princess Zelda from childhood. They are quite close. Like sisters almost…" The Sheikah warrior let out a small, wistful, almost regretful sigh before she went on. "I fear for what might happen to Impa if she travels alone. She may try to overexert herself in trying to locate the princess and get into serious trouble. As we both know, she has years and years of experience and service behind her, but even the very best need assistance from time to time."

Link smiled softly and nodded upon hearing this, knowing that even though they had just met, it was clear that Sheik cared for the wellbeing of the first general, just as he did. "I'm glad you're going with her," he said. "Hopefully, it will help her trust you a little more and maybe between the four of us, we can find Zelda out there somewhere."

Sheik was silent for a beat upon hearing this, especially upon hearing the resolve and determination in his tone, but before too long, she finally let her words slip out. "The princess is not as far as you think…" she said in a voice that was almost a whisper, though the hero certainly heard them nonetheless. And yet, he did not say anything in response, but rather looked over at her with even more bewilderment than before. The Sheikah warrior made sure to avert his intense, blue-eyed gaze as much as she could, already wishing that she could take back her words for she had just said far too much.

"Sheik?" Link asked with a frown, knowing without a doubt that she was hiding something from him. "Do… do you _know_ where Zelda is?"

Sheik shut her eyes tightly upon hearing this question, as it was one that, if she was perfectly honest, she could answer with a yes. And yet, she knew that it was still too early to tell anyone, including both the hero and the Sheikah guardian. In time, the truth would finally be revealed, but for now, it was better for everyone if the Sheikah warrior kept her secrecy up, just as she had been doing this whole time.

"Sheik?" the hero pressed once more, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder, but before he could actually get anywhere, they were interrupted by the white sorceress joining them, perkily plopping herself down near the fire without even realizing that she had broken through a rather tense moment.

"Well, everyone should be all healed up and ready to go tomorrow morning!" Lana said cheerfully, a bright grin on her pink lips. "So… What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Sheik was quick to say as she turned back toward the fire, ignoring the somewhat suspicious glance that Link was giving her because of how shifty she seemed to be acting.

"Oh… well… um…" the white sorceress bit her lip somewhat awkwardly, trying to figure out how to start a new conversation out of nothing. "Anyone know where Impa is?"

"I'm right here," the Sheikah guardian said, as if on cue as she approached the fire and also took a seat, making sure she was in a position that would make it easy for her to keep a careful eye on Sheik. "Messengers are on their way back to the castle as we speak, so soon everyone will know about the portals and about Cia. The last thing that is needed during a war like this is for wild rumors to be breaking out among the common people."

"Good," Lana said with a relieved smile. "Hopefully people won't be too frightened by the portals, and they'll know to stay out of the monsters' sight."

The conversation once again drifted away after this as the only sound that could be heard for several minutes as that of the warm fire crackling. However, if there was something that the Sheikah warrior certainly noticed even as she avoided it was the hero still staring at her as he had been doing for quite a while now. And, even though she knew it would only give her away more, Sheik eventually did turn back towards Link and met his gaze, holding it firmly with her fierce red eyes until she could remain silent no longer.

"What?" she asked a bit to sharply than she had wanted to, something that had caught the attention of both the white sorceress and the Sheikah guardian, but as much as the Sheikah warrior wished he would, the hero still did not back down.

"Can I ask you something else?" Link asked as he gave her an examine look, clearly not ready to let this matter go, much to Sheik's chagrin.

"Link-" the Sheikah warrior tried to diffuse him, but it was clear that he intended on continuing no matter what she said.

"Where are you even from?" the hero asked suspiciously, even though he had quite a few other questions he wanted to pose to her, but this one was the simplest one at the moment, and he knew there was much more of a chance that she would actually answer this one directly.

"Hyrule, of course," Sheik said with an unconcerned shrug, something that Link only frowned in disappointment at.

"I don't think that's what he meant, Sheik," Lana said with a giggle, trying to lighten the tight mood that this conversation seemed to be taking. Impa, on the other hand, simply remained silent, observing the Sheikah warrior carefully and trying to interpret her answer as best as possible, realizing that perhaps Link was also starting to catch onto their supposed ally's hidden intentions.

Sheik hesitated in answering once more as she cast a brief glance Impa's way, something that the Sheikah guardian certainly noticed but wasn't sure how to interpret. "The Sheikah tribe is a nomadic one," she answered accurately, something that caught Impa admittedly off guard. If Sheik wasn't a true Sheikah, then she certainly had done her research on them and their rather obscure, secretive culture. "We travel from place to place across Hyrule, protecting the royal family wherever we are needed. Most of us have very little knowledge of our place of birth, and I certainly do not."

The hero looked to the Sheikah guardian for a confirmation on whether or not this fact about the Sheikah tribe was true or not, and though Impa had a bitter scowl on her face, she could not deny that it was as she gave him a small nod. "Ok… well… What about your family? Do you have one?" Link asked, treading carefully as he tried to inquire even more about the Sheikah warrior.

"No," Sheik said, this time immediately, her voice soft yet strangely emotionless. "Most of my kin have been dead for years…" she said with an almost silent sigh as she met Impa's eyes for just a brief moment, still leaving the Sheikah guardian just as confused as ever.

"Oh…" the hero said, feeling a bit guilty about how he had just interrogated her after hearing that, as it was something that he sympathized with quite a bit. "I… I'm sorry… My family's gone too…"

The Sheikah warrior's expression also softened as the two of them exchanged an apologetic glance for the undertone of distrust and harshness their conversation had carried. Silence came over the group yet again as everyone avoided eye contact, each of them occupying themselves with different activities as they sat together to avoid talking; Impa took out her small knife and began to sharpen it, Lana let out a small sigh as she pulled her knees to her chest, Link began to absently prod the fire with a nearby stick, and Sheik glanced up into the starry skies above until she finally looked towards the hero again and raised a question of her own.

"What happened to them?" the Sheikah warrior asked, her voice a bit more tender and vulnerable than it usually.

"Who?" Link asked in slight confusion as he looked up at her.

"Your family…" Sheik said as her eyes met his once more, slightly trying to get divert his attention away from focusing on her but also out of curiosity. "Unless… You'd rather not discuss it, which I would understand…"

The hero frowned upon hearing this request, knowing that the very question was reopening many old wounds that he had worked for so long to close up and move past. And yet, he had come to realize years ago that the past was ultimately something that could never be hidden. After all, pain, even if it is old, demands to be felt. "Until I was about ten years old, I lived with my parents and my little sister in a small village to the west of the woods," he said reminiscently, starting at the beginning. "We didn't have that much, but we had enough to be happy and comfortable, and my parents loved me and my sister a lot. For the longest time, everything was great… That is, until those bandits showed up…"

The other three members of the group all gave Link a pitied, yet intrigued glance. "What… what happened?" Lana asked hesitantly as she gently placed her hand on his arm, urging him to continue.

The hero closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, before looking to the fire once more with both bitterness and deep, hidden pain. "It's not a day I like to remember…"

* * *

_The summer sun was falling low upon the serene little valley as a father and his son, a boy no older than ten, racing through the nearby meadow in a carefree game of tag, a game that they often partook in when the man did not have to work. To say that the two of them were close was an understatement, as the two were nigh inseparable, something that anyone could see and every member of the small town they lived in knew. The boy followed his father around like a shadow whenever he could, and whenever he had to stay home with his mother and sister, he always showed visible disappointment. After all, the boy saw his father is his sole role model, nothing less than an everyday hero in his young eyes. _

_As the two of them were playing, the boy finally caught up with his father, who was clearly giving his son a fair chance, and plowed into him, knocking them both off their feet. They collapsed to the ground together, laughing warmly all the while as they rolled around in the warm grass, covering their clothes in stains that the boy's mother would certainly scold them both for later. At a glance, everything seemed to be well and good with the world as the father and son enjoyed their time together, just as they always did._

_Until, all at once, everything went wrong. _

_A sudden, frighten scream tore through the calm of the early evening, one that the man immediately recognized. His eyes grew wide as he quickly picked himself off of the ground, already lifting his confused son up as well. "Come along, Link," the man said with a kind of seriousness in his tone that his son had never heard him use before. "We have to hurry home, now."_

"_But why, daddy?" the boy asked with a frown as his father took him by the hand and quickly began to rush back towards the village. _

"_Because," the man said with grave worry and fear in his voice. "I think your mother and sister are in trouble…"_

_The boy's blue eyes widened upon hearing this, and much like his father's, his own heart began to pound with adrenaline and dread, especially as the two of them cleared into the main street of the village, half of which had somehow caught fire. But the man knew that there was no time to stop there, as much as he wanted to help his neighbors, especially as he heard his wife's terrified scream louder than ever. In almost no time at all, they made it back to their humble home, which had thankfully not burst into flames just yet, but the sounds of breaking glass and yelling voices inside were clear indicators that those inside were not safe. Even before they burst into the house, the man could hear what the invaders who had broken into his home were shouting as his beloved wife, who simply responded to each of their harsh questions with tearful sobs. _

"_Where is he!?" one of the marauders asked with a deep, hateful voice. _

"_I… I don't know who you're-" the woman began to respond, before she was cut off by the sound of a brutal slap and another scream, this time accompanied by the sound of a young girl crying._

"_Yes, you do, you wretch!" another male voice barked. "Now, just tell us where he is! We know he's here!"_

"_P-please," the woman begged desperately. "Take a-anything you want! Please, just d-don't hurt my family…"_

"_Oh, we'll do a lot more than hurt you if you don't tell us where the boy is!" a third man growled, but this was the last thing anyone said before the woman's husband finally burst through the front door, both rage and horror filling him at the sight he saw._

_Three rugged, well-armed bandits stood within the main room of the house, which was completely ransacked from their raid upon it. The couple's youngest child of about four was being restrained by one of the robbers, who held onto her by her long blonde hair as she cried loudly, having no idea what was going on as her and her mother were attacked. The woman herself was sitting on her knees in front of one of the bandits, who stood with a deadly knife in his hand as he interrogated her, even as blood was already streaming down her chest from the deep cut across her collar bone._

_The woman gasped in both shock and fear as her husband and son arrived on the scene, but as she glanced at the boy, her heart was filled with an unspeakable terror. "Quickly!" she shouted to her husband, not even caring about the cost it would be to herself so long as her son remained safe. "Get Link out of here before it's too late!" However, the very moment after these words left her mouth, the woman let out another scream of immense agony as the third bandit's knife plunged into her back, causing her to collapse to the ground in a puddle of blood and allowing both her husband and son to watch with incredible heartbreak as the life all too quickly faded out of her eyes. _

"_No!" the man shouted in absolute fury as he lunged towards the bandits, tears streaming down his cheeks at the loss of his wife. The little girl's screams and cries only grew louder upon seeing her mother die right in front of her in such a brutal way, but she was quickly silenced by a heavy blow to the head by the bandit holding onto her, and she quickly crumpled to the ground unconsciously. While his father struggled in vain against the knife-wielding bandits, the boy merely stood in the doorway and stared at his mother's dead body in complete shock, frozen in place by both fear and devastation. Unlike his father, he was not brave or strong enough to battle with these murderers, which was why he could do absolutely nothing as the man was ran through in the chest by one of the marauders, knocking him to the ground in semi-consciousness and leaving the boy virtually alone with these brutal killers. _

"_He's the one," the leader of the trio said to his companions as he nodded at the boy, who merely stared at them with wide, terrified eyes. "He has the treasure."_

"_That kid?" one of the others asked incredulously. "He doesn't look like he could be a hero! He doesn't even have the mark of the treasure on his hand like he's supposed to!"_

"_That's 'cause it's inside of him!" the third bandit said, holding his bloodied knife up. "We'll just have to rip it out!"_

"_Not yet," the leader said, holding up his hand to stop his companion. "We need him alive… for now…"_

_The boy had barely heard most of what the bandits were saying about him as he turned his gaze back to his dazed, injured father once more, desperately hoping that he was alright and would save him from these horrible men. And, as the bandits were still conversing, the man just so happened to open his eyes weakly to look at his son, before coughing out his next, and quite likely last, statement. ""Link…" the man said quietly, unable to pick himself up off the ground as he quickly bled out. "R-run…"_

_Tears had finally started to stream down the boy's face as he looked upon his dying father, his hero, who had sacrificed his life in trying to save him. And, as much as his heart was breaking over the fact that he was losing his family so quickly, he followed his father's final command and, before the bandits could even prepare to take him as they planned, he was running through the smoke-filled streets of the town, pushing his way through the crowds of frightened, fleeing people. His heart was pounding and burning as he ran for his life, but he did not look back upon hearing the enraged shouts of the bandits following after him, and he did not see as his house burst into flame with his unconscious little sister, who was helpless to save herself, inside. _

_However, even as fast as the boy ran, he was ultimately too slow for the trio of bandits, who had taken to their horses to chase after him. And, before he could break out of the threshold of the village to head into the safety of the woods nearby, the leader managed to catch him by the color of his shirt, pulling him up onto his racing horse roughly and tying his wrists together tightly. _

"_L-let me go!" the boy cried shakily, knowing that he could not allow himself to be captured by such evil men for whatever purpose they wanted him for. _

"_Don't worry, kid," the leader laughed greedily, giving the boy a dark grin. "We'll take real good care of you... as long as you behave!"_

_The boy let out a small sob, having never been this afraid before in his entire life. He had no idea what was to become of him at the hands of these bandits, but he knew that if he didn't find a way to escape them soon, then he would meet the same tragic fate that the rest of his family just had, as much as it pained him to think that. His family was dead, and it was all because these bandits wanted him for something, though he had no idea what. And yet, as much as he knew he needed to get away, he was again reminded of the fact that he was just a child, far too small and weak to stand up against such burly, dangerous men. However, just as the boy was starting to lose hope altogether, something that was no less of a miracle happened. _

_One of the bandits following behind the leader let out a sudden cry of pain as he collapsed off of his horse completely, falling to the ground to reveal an arrow plunged into his heart from the back. However, even though their companion had just died, the remaining two bandits did not stop, knowing that they could not let go of the prize that they had just collected. While the leader did not look back for a second, the other bandit did, as did the boy, and both of them were able to see a new figure on horseback quickly approaching them, their speed incredible as its rider mounted yet another arrow upon his bow. _

_Looking back proved to be the other bandit's fatal mistake as he soon found an arrow running him through, killing him instantly just as his companion had been. The leader, however, knew he was safe so long as he kept the boy behind him as leverage, for certainly this pursuer, whoever they were, would not bring harm to the child. And yet, what the leader had not been expecting was the speedy feet of the pursuer's horse, for sure enough, they soon pulled their way up in front and blocked the leader's path, forcing his horse to halt for there was no other way to go._

_Only now was the boy able to discern the identity of his supposed savior and once he did, relief instantly filled him. The pursuer was none other than his uncle, a former commander in the Hylian army, who lived in the same village as him and his family had. While the boy was not as close to his uncle as he had been to his father, the two still got along famously, and on many occasions, the former soldier would show the boy some of his skill with a blade, skill that he clearly intended on using here as he drew his sword in offense against the bandit._

"_Let the boy go," the former commander said with a firm, resolved glare. "Now."_

"_Never!" the bandit shouted in fury, pulling the boy up in front of him in order to use him as a human shield against his foe's attacks. "Once I get my hands on the other two treasures, this kid and whoever has the other two are going to make me very rich and very powerful…"_

"_He doesn't have a piece of it!" the commander said, his tone still as unwavering as ever even though he must have known that his brother was dead. "He's just a child. He knows nothing about it and he has nothing that you want or need."_

"_Well, if you want the brat so badly, then why don't you just take him from me?" the bandit asked haughtily, drawing his dagger once more and holding it against the boy's throat. The commander's glare tightened as he rose his bow once more, something that frightened the boy immensely, but his uncle merely reassured him with a confident grin before letting his arrow loose. The projectile missed the bandit by a great deal, flying high over his head, but the marauder was foolish enough to watch it go past him, so that he completely missed the second arrow, which struck him squarely in his exposed neck, sending him tumbling to the ground, finally dead._

_The boy also fell of the horse and onto the ground, letting out a small cry of pain as he landed on his back, but thankfully he sustained no injuries. His uncle was quick to dismount his horse and rush over to his nephew, cutting through the bonds around his wrists and pulling the boy into a tight, comforting embrace. And, now that he was in safe, loving arms once more, he couldn't help but finally let his pressing tears that he had been holding back for so long loose. He wept into his uncle's shoulder for what felt like ages as he realized that his parents and his sister truly were gone, that it was his fault that they were gone. And yet, the commander simply let his young nephew mourn as he gave him a consoling pat on the back, knowing his incredible pain well. _

"_Don't worry, Link…" the commander said consolingly, making a promise to both the grieving, orphaned boy and his deceased parents that he would not be alone after such a tragedy. "I'll take care of you…"_

* * *

"So, my uncle took me in," Link continued, hiding the grief of losing his family in such an awful way well, though all three of his allies could tell that it still pained him even eight years later. "Since our village had been destroyed in the fire, we moved closer to the castle, and for the next several years, he taught me everything he knew about fighting. The more I learned from him, the more I was inspired to join the army just like he had so I could make him proud, and so, when he died from illness a few months ago, that's exactly what I did."

The other three were silent for a moment as all of this sunk in, none of them having thought before that the usually upbeat hero could have such a dark, sad past. And yet, even despite all he had lost, he had apparently found ways of coping and overcoming, showing that he was certainly resilient indeed. But of course, what he hadn't mentioned was that the certainly did still haunt him, especially since he had been so young with this had happened and he had seen it all firsthand. However, as the silence was broken through once more, Sheik was the only one not to speak this time as she kept her scarlet eyes on Link intently, not showing anything through them even though she was feeling a million things at once.

"I'm sure he would be proud of you," Impa said, placing her discretion for Sheik aside for the moment as she gave the hero a sincere smile. "You have certainly proved your skill and bravery in this war thus far."

"Oh, Link, I'm so sorry…" Lana said as a few stray tears slipped down her cheek from the tragic tale she had just heard. "Something like that shouldn't have to happen to anyone, especially not you…"

"Did you ever find out what those bandits wanted with you anyway?" the Sheikah guardian asked with a frown.

"No," Link said with a sigh as he finally looked up from the fire he had been intently staring at this whole time. "I think my uncle knew, but he never told me for some reason..."

"I think I might have a hunch," the white sorceress said. "They were after the Triforce of Courage."

"But… I didn't even have it back then," the hero said in confusion, knowing that the first time he had ever seen the mark of the golden power on the back of his hand was just a few weeks ago.

"No, you didn't," Lana said knowingly. "But you've always had the essence of one who could bear it: the Spirit of the Hero. Those bandits must have somehow found out about it and confused it for you having the Triforce of Courage already. After all, the Triforce wasn't even separated until I split it apart to keep it safe from Cia…"

"How did you manage to do that anyway?" the Sheikah guardian asked as she looked towards the white sorceress.

Lana bit her lip a bit anxiously for a moment, figuring out exactly how she wanted to tell this story. "Well…" she said, glancing up into the starry skies above before she delved into her tale. "It was only month or so ago…"

* * *

"_Cia! What are you doing!?"_

_A cold smile crept across the black witch's lips as she slowly turned around to face the white sorceress, who let out a surprise gasp at her changed appearance. "Ah, Lana…" Cia said, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "I'm so glad you're here…"_

"_Cia… what… what happened to you?" Lana asked as she took in her partner's revealing outfit, something that was a far cry from the chaste guardian's clothing that she usually wore. "Why are you acting so strange?"_

"_Why am I acting strange?" Cia scoffed, rolling her eyes at the white sorceress. "I think the better question is why are you being such a little goody-goody, Lana? You can't deny that we both feel the exact same way. Why don't you just embrace it like I have?"_

"_Because it's wrong!" Lana said with a worried frown, holding her book close to her chest. "Cia, I know you have feelings for the hero, but you don't see that you're being manipulated!"_

"_Manipulated?" Cia asked, clearly not believing her for a minute as she kept up her coy smile. "By who?"_

"_By the darkness in your own heart!" Lana said firmly, resolving to stand strong against her partner, even though it pained her greatly. "You've been corrupted by it, but you need to find yourself again before it's too late! Please, Cia; just let me help you. Together, we can-"_

"_Enough!" Cia shouted, glaring at the white sorceress hotly. "I don't need your help! I have plans to become more powerful than you could ever dream, and once I do, then I will finally make the hero all mine!"_

"_Cia, please!" Lana begged desperately, tears threatening to fall over how low the black witch had sunk. "This isn't right, and you know it! We're supposed to protect Hyrule and the Triforce, not endanger them for our own selfish desires!"_

"_How dare you stand there and lecture me about being selfish!" Cia growled darkly. "I know why you're trying to stop me, Lana. Don't think I haven't seen how you look at him whenever we observe him. You just want him all to yourself!"_

"_W-what?!" Lana exclaimed, trying to hide the rush of embarrassed red that flooded her cheeks. "No! Cia, you know what we're not the one for him! He's bound to another, and he always has been!"_

"_Oh, I wouldn't worry about that silly little bond for much longer…" Cia said, her sadistic grin returning. "Especially once I get rid of the princess once and for all…"_

_Lana let out a frightened gasp upon hearing this, knowing that she had to stop the black witch now more than ever. "I won't let you do that, Cia!" she proclaimed courageously, holding her book up as she prepared to attack her close partner. _

"_What are you going to do to stop me?" Cia asked haughtily, placing a hand on her hip as she grasped her scepter. _

_Lana hesitated for a moment as she seized her options. She could already feel the dark aura of strong power emanating from Cia, even if she didn't know where it was coming from. The white sorceress knew that she wouldn't be able to take the black witch on by herself, especially not withal of that power and her own meager amount, but, as she looked up towards the Triforce glimmering right behind Cia, an idea finally came to Lana, one that she prayed would work. _

_Her heart pounding with adrenaline, the white sorceress kept her eyes solely on the black witch as she held her hand out, a blue glow emanating around it. Cia gave her a confused look for a moment before her eyes widened in realization as to what Lana was doing. _

"_Lana, no!" the black witch shouted in fury, but it was already too late. With a powerful shout, the white sorceress threw her hand forward, letting her magic loose as it sailed towards the Triforce. Cia's jaw dropped in horror as she watched it strike the golden relic, which she was just about to add to her own power to become unstoppable. Almost immediately, the Triforce split apart into its three pieces, but the black witch wasn't about to let it go that easily. She was quick to raise her scepter into the air, however, her dark magic only managed to hit the Triforce of Power before the other two pieces shot up into the air and disappeared far out of her reach._

"_No!" Cia screamed in rage as only the Triforce of Power landed in her hand. With fire burning in her eyes, she spun around to face Lana, who had been severely weakened by the strong spell she had just cast. "Lana! I'll destroy you for this!"_

_The white sorceress let out a frightful gasp as she did her best to recover from the spell, especially as the black witch held her staff up in preparation for an attack. Panicking and out of ideas, Lana held her hands up over her head as she used her magic to vanish into thin air, not even hearing Cia's enraged scream of frustration as she teleported out of the Palace of Souls. _

_Lana rematerialized within the depths of the Forbidden Forest outside of the palace, not even needing to see it to know that it was being twisted thanks to Cia's dark magic and perverse desires. With a sad sigh, the white sorceress looked in the direction of the palace one more time, knowing that she had failed the black witch, and because of that, now all of Hyrule would have to pay the price. "I'm sorry, Cia…" she whispered as one of her tears finally fell. "I'll find a way to save you… Somehow…"_

* * *

"I wandered around Hyrule for a few weeks, looking for a way to stop Cia, until I came across a group of ragtag Hylian soldiers who were working to get rid of the invading monsters," Lana said, her expression sad and wistful over what had happened to the black witch. "They joined me, and together we began helping out wherever we were needed, until we ran into you guys in the woods."

"So, did you know that Sheik and I would get pieces of the Triforce when you split it up?" Link asked curiously, glancing down at his hand before realizing that the mark of the Triforce of Courage was no longer there thanks to Cia.

"No," Lana said, shaking her head. "But, based on how history likes to repeat itself, I figured that the chosen hero would get the Triforce of Courage, and you did, Link. The Triforce of Wisdom, on the other hand, is traditionally possessed by members of the royal family…"

"It is," Impa nodded, knowing the secrets of the royal family well. "So, if that's the case, then why did _you _have it?" she asked Sheik pointedly, glaring at her suspiciously.

The Sheikah warrior had not said a word for quite a long time, as she had spent the past several minutes still pondering the story Link had told about his family being slaughtered right in front of him, something that filled her heart with unspoken sympathy. She was somewhat taken off guard by the Sheikah guardian's sudden question, but she was quick to compose herself in order to answer it. "I did not know that I possessed the Triforce of Wisdom until Cia took it from me," Sheik said succinctly, though Impa's glare sharpened as she suspected her of lying. "As to the reason of why I would possess it, I do not even know that myself. One would think that it would be the proper birthright of Princess Zelda herself, wouldn't it?"

The Sheikah guardian curled her hands up into fists upon hearing this, but she knew that there would be more time to confront the Sheikah warrior about what she was clearly hiding when they traveled together the next day. But all the same, it still bothered her; after all, why in the world would someone like Sheik, who had seemed to come completely out of nowhere and be as mysterious as the wind itself, would have the Triforce of Wisdom, one of the royal family's most protected treasures. "It _should _be…" Impa muttered as she thought of the princess with worry, though she still gave the Sheikah warrior a look of distrust. "In fact, when I first started to care for the princess years ago, it was widely believed that she would get it…"

"When did you start working for Zelda, Impa?" Link asked inquisitively, realizing that he had never asked the first general this before, even though they had been working together for the past several weeks.

The Sheikah guardian let out a small sigh as she smiled slightly, looking back on what was a rather fond memory for her. "It was about thirteen years ago…" Impa said, her smile widening as she recalled the exact day. "I was around twenty, and Zelda was only about five. The queen had just passed away and her father needed someone to take care of her while he performed his royal duties. And so, the king called upon the Sheikah tribe to find a guardian for her."

* * *

_The young Sheikah woman stood alone within the king's study, somewhat concealed by shadow as she waited for his highness to arrive. She was quite anxious about this meeting, especially since the elders of her tribe had given her very specific instructions on how to behave and speak. Of course, she had been honored upon being chosen out of her people to be stationed at the castle, a high position for anyone of the Sheikah tribe. The Sheikah woman knew that she would faithfully preform any duties asked of her, no matter what they might be._

_The door to the study finally opened and the middle-aged king, who's expression revealed that he was quite stressed, yet at the same time, sad, which only made sense as his dear wife had recently died from a horrible illness. And yet, he kept up his professionalism, even as the Sheikah woman bowed low to the ground in respect before her ruler. _

"_I apologize for being late," the king said, sitting behind his desk as he gave the Sheikah woman permission to rise and take a seat as well. "I have been quite preoccupied as of late, which is part of the reason why you are here…"_

"_You are quite alright, your majesty," the Sheikah woman said, inclining her head to him as she excused his tardiness. _

_The king nodded as he looked over the Sheikah sitting before him. "So, the letter that the Sheikah elders sent ahead of you says that your name is Impa, right?"_

"_Yes, sire," the Sheikah woman said with a nod, being as formal as possible._

"_Hm…" the king mused for a moment as he continued to examine her. "You seem to be a bit young for an assignment such as this… How old are you?"_

"_Twenty, sire."_

"_Twenty…" the king repeated thoughtfully, stroking his beard. "Do you have any experience with children?"_

"_I often tended to the young ones in my tribe," the Sheikah woman said._

"_And the letter said that you are skilled in the combat of your people," the king said. "I trust that you would be able to stand in as a bodyguard if that is needed."_

"_Of course, your majesty."_

"_Very good," the king said, finally cracking a small smile. "I trust that you understand that this job will entail you both protecting and caring for my daughter, yes? After all, she is my most precious treasure, and while I wish I had more time to devote to her, my position takes away most of my time."_

"_I understand that, sire," the Sheikah woman said with a sincere nod. "And if I am appointed to the position of her guardian, I promise you that I will care for the young princess as if she were my own."_

_The king's smile deepened as he nodded once more. "I trust that you will," he said. "After all, the Sheikah have been the trusted caretakers and guardians of the royal family for generations, and they have not let us down yet. But of course, it's not up for me to decide whether or not you get the job…" The king paused and looked towards the door of the room, calling out to the child waiting behind it. "Zelda, dear, you may come in now!"_

_The door hesitantly creaked open and the young princess entered in, her blonde hair flowing past her shoulders and her light pink dress dragging past her feet on the ground. The five-year old girl looked to her father expectantly after glancing towards the Sheikah woman inquisitively, having never seen a Sheikah in person before. "Papa?" she asked, her dark blue eyes asking why her father had called her here._

"_Zelda, this is Lady Impa," the king said, referring to the Sheikah woman with a proper title, even if she didn't officially have one yet. _

"_Hello, your highness," the Sheikah woman said with a kind smile as she rose to stand, kneeling before the young royal as she approached her with curious eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you."_

"_Are you a Sh-shakah?" the princess asked, trying to pronounce the name as correctly as possible, even if she did fall short._

_The Sheikah woman laughed warmly at this. "Yes, I am a Sheikah," she said with a grin. _

"_Wow!" the young princess exclaimed, her bright eyes alight with excitement. "Mommy used to tell me stories of the Shakahs! Can you run really fast?"_

"_Fast enough," the Sheikah woman nodded, too humble to brag about herself. _

"_Can you fight with needles?" _

"_I have before," the Sheikah woman said. "But I like to use a weapon called a naginata instead."_

"_Ooo," the girl said, growing more interested by the moment. "Can you show me?"_

"_Well, I don't have it with me right now, but I could," the Sheikah woman said, already growing to care for the adorable, innocent child before her. "That is, if you want me to stay…"_

"_You're going to stay?" the princess asked, her voice hopeful as she glanced towards her father. _

"_Only if you want her to," the king said with a smile upon seeing the two interact, already noticing that a bond was beginning to form. _

"_Oh, yes!" the princess said almost instantly, taking the Sheikah woman by the hand. "Please do, Lady Impa!"_

"_Of course I will, your highness," the Sheikah woman said, still smiling kindly. "But please, you can just call me Impa."_

"_Ok!" the young princess said cheerfully, already beginning to lead the Sheikah woman on a tour of the castle as the king merely nodded his approval of his daughter's new guardian. "But only if you call me Zelda!"_

"_As you wish…" the Sheikah woman said, knowing that she would be glad to do whatever she had to in order to keep the darling young princess safe and happy, even beyond the fact that it was her new duty. "Zelda."_

* * *

"And I've done my best to care for her ever since," Impa said, succinctly concluding the story of how her and Zelda met. This sweet tale had significantly lightened the mood that both Link and Lana's tragic stories had set earlier, to the point that both the hero and the white sorceress were smiling softly to themselves. Sheik, however, simply averted the Sheikah guardian's gaze, her crimson eyes seeming to shine with hidden tears that thankfully no one noticed. There was much that she wanted to tell Impa, but she knew that now was not the time for it. But all the same, she could feel her emotions beginning to well up inside of her, and she knew that if she let them go, there was a large chance that they could give her away far too early.

"It's getting late," the Sheikah warrior said as emotionlessly as possible, even if it was quite difficult after all she had heard. "I think I'm going to retire for the night."

"That's probably a good idea," Lana said, standing up as she let out a tired yawn. "After all, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Good night everyone!"

"Good night," Link said to both the Sheikah warrior and the white sorceress as they left, though both him and Impa opted to stay near the fire a bit longer to get warm.

As soon as Sheik was out of earshot however, the Sheikah guardian leaned in closer to the hero, who sat just across the fire from her. "So, what do you think?" she asked knowingly, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't be heard.

"About what?" Link asked in confusion, having no idea what she was talking about.

"Sheik," Impa said with a scowl. "I noticed how you seemed to be wary of her earlier. Do you suspect that something is off about her too?"

"Well… yeah, I guess…" the hero said with a frown as he lowered his voice as well. "She was kind of acting strange a while ago."

"I'm glad that you finally have started to catch onto it too," the Sheikah guardian said, her eyes glancing off in the direction that Sheik had headed off into. "I believe that her intentions don't really match what she says they are."

"I don't know about that," Link said, not wanting to be overly paranoid about someone who was supposed to be their ally. "But I do think she's hiding something."

"Like what?" Impa asked, raising an eyebrow.

The hero leaned in even closer to the fire as his next statement came out in a whisper. "I think she might know where Zelda is," he said with a frown, wanting to trust Sheik, even if her suspicious behavior made it difficult to.

The Sheikah guardian's glare sharpened even more upon hearing this, knowing that if the Sheikah warrior certainly was working with their enemy, then there was a good chance that she would know of the princess's location. "I'll keep a close eye on her as we set out tomorrow," she said with resolve, knowing that she was going to put a stop to this treachery before it could begin. "If she does know where the princess is, then I'll find a way to make her tell. At the same time, I want both you and Lana to keep a close eye out for her too. She could be literally anywhere, and any _time _now…"

* * *

As dawn was just starting to crest over the entrance to the Valley of Seers, the Hylian army was all gathered together, split into three even faction as they prepared to move out to their separate assignments. At the very front of the companies stood the hero, the white sorceress and the two Sheikahs, all of them meeting together one last time before they split up.

"We can regroup in Hyrule Field as soon as we're all done closing each Gate of Souls," Lana said with confidence that they would succeed in this venture. "Without their support, Cia will be more vulnerable, and from there, we can think of a plan to take her down."

"Let's plan to meet up in three days time," Impa said firmly. "That should be enough time for each of us to do what we have to and return."

"Sounds good," Link said, already prepared to leap back into action. "So, we're all ready to go, right?"

"I believe we are," Sheik said with a nod, not noticing the looks of derision that both the hero and the Sheikah guardian were giving her.

"Ok then!" the white sorceress said, her tone bright and chipper. "Let's head out! Good luck everyone!"

The other three members of the group nodded and exchanged their well wishes before the finally broke apart, each of the warriors leading a different faction of soldiers to their decided destinations. Even despite the feelings that they may have had to each other, the task before the heroes was clear: to travel through each portal and to each separate age, and close the gates before any more chaos was caused, so that they could finally begin to repair the damage Cia had inflicted on their land. With time growing short, they parted ways to do their important work simultaneously, each of them vowing to close the Gates of Souls and return safely.

* * *

**Ok, so I may have some explaining to do now that this chapter is over, especially since i set up a lot of stuff that isn't really canon to HW, but hey, that's the power of fanfic, right? Expanding on the known! So, I think the flashbacks for Lana and Impa are pretty self explanatory, but allow me point out some things about Link's real quick. So, him having a little sister was a concept I took from the HW Prima guide, in which there is concept art for a design for a female Link (by the name of Linkle), who was actually supposed to be Link's little sister, or something like that. Of course, that was scrapped here, but I'd like to think that he had a little sister all the same, so there. Also, those bandits looking for the Triforce sort of were a reference to a Link to the Past (as is Link's uncle taking him in), in which the prologue states that many bandits and thieves have gone after the Triforce in the past. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I just thought I would explain a few things to make things clearer. Now, for next time, I think we're going to start off with Twilight Princess, which means we'll get to meet everyone's favorite princesses of both Twilight and insects! Hahahah! Well, for now, don't forget to review! Until next time!**


	11. The Land of Twilight

_Well, this one took some work, but oddly enough, I managed to finish it all in two sittings, which is great cause this is REDICULOUSLY LONG. Seriously, this is like climax level length for me, but whatever. I just don't want to split any of these chapters in half so I decided to just deal with it and give you the whole Twilight Field stage in one sitting. Also, writing this was a TON of fun, mostly because Midna is awesome and who could have guessed that writing for Agitha is also a blast? Anyway, thanks to everyone who has followed and favorite so far! Now onto the guest reviews!_

_GrayishGirl: I'm glad you liked Impa's flashback, as it was my intention to make it cute! I understand boy problems indeed hahahaha, but mine are more along the lines of me liking a guy who has been my good friend for years but now goes to a different college than me… sigh…_

_Guest: Thanks!_

_Khallo789: Oh yeah, Impa's reaction is going to be pretty great. I'm sure it will tear her up quite a bit and she'll be completely ashamed, but Zelda, being the understanding person that she is, will totally forgive her… ;)_

_Jack: Yeah, the female Link was supposed to be his sister, and in a way, I think it does sorta allude to Aryll. And I also can't wait for the Era of the Sky, for both Fi and Ghirahim, as I'm sure he will be an absolute BLAST to write. As for Cia's tale, I'm not going to make those full chapters, but they might be included as flashbacks later on…_

_Reader314: I'm glad you're liking it! I also can't wait until Zelda reeals herself, mostly because I can't wait to write Link's reaction to it (as well as Impa's!)_

_Well, that's it for now! Let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 10: The Land of Twilight_

As one of the legendary Observers of Time, Lana had an extensive amount of knowledge when it came to the past eras of Hyrule from watching them on from afar, but she had never actually visited any herself. She knew well that it was not her place to tamper with the fragile flow of time, and that doing so could lead to dire consequences in some cases. However, the white sorceress also knew that desperate times called for desperate measures and that this was certainly one of them. The Gate of Souls could not remain opened, lest Hyrule of all eras face complete and utter destruction. And besides, Lana figured that this would be a relatively easy task. She would go into the Era of Twilight, find the Gate of Souls, close it, and reunite with the others so they could all take Cia down together. Simple enough.

Or so she thought.

Going through the portal from the present to the past was a rather odd sensation that felt something like falling asleep in one place and waking up in an entirely different one. This certainly rang true for Lana as she emerged from the portal she had gone through. In her time, the portal had been positioned in the southwestern fields of the land, but as she came out of the other side now, the white sorceress found herself in a dense wood instead, one that felt vaguely similar to the Faron Woods of the present. After scouting out the area and deciding that it was safe, Lana beckoned the rest of her troops to follow her, a group of about one hundred or so, including her small force that she had been fighting alongside when she first encountered the Hylian troops. Not knowing what to expect, the soldiers were all tense as they kept their weapons at the ready, but the white sorceress was as calm and chipper as ever as she moved through the woods gracefully, looking for any sign that might lead them to the Gate of Souls.

"Miss Lana?" the captain that Lana had appointed for this mission said after a few moments of wandering around. "Are you sure that this is the era of Twilight like you said?"

Lana smiled and nodded, leading the way to a nearby wooden signpost that would hopefully guide their way through the forest. "It should be…" she mused as she stepped up to the sign, written in a type of Hylian script that had died out centuries ago, though fortunately, the white sorceress was well versed in all dialects of the language. "Aha!" she exclaimed with a grin. "This here says that we're in Faron Woods!"

"Faron Woods?" another soldier said with a confused frown. "This doesn't look like the Faron Woods we were fighting in a few days ago."

"That's because it's not," Lana informed, still smiling as she turned back to the signpost. "It's the Faron Woods of the era of Twilight. This sign also says that to the south of here is Ordon Village, and to the north is Hyrule Field. I'd say that might be the best place to start looking for the Gate of Souls for now. We should-"

Before the white sorceress could say another word, she was suddenly cut off by the sound of multiple frightened shouts coming from the woods nearby. Everyone turned to try and locate the source of the cries, but Lana was the first to spot the group of young children running their way, all of them completely scared out of their wits as they rushed through the woods.

"Hey!" the white sorceress called out as the kids ran right past them all, going towards the south as they crashed through the trees. "Wait!"

After giving her soldiers a quick nod commanding them to stay put for now, Lana ran off after the children, hoping to find out what had them so shaken up, though she already had a pretty good theory. Thanks to the Gate of Souls, monsters were no doubt covering the Hyrule of this era now, but perhaps, the white sorceress hoped, if she could pinpoint where these monsters were coming from, then she could pinpoint where the gate was, and what was a better place to start than asking the locals of the area themselves?

"Wait!" Lana called out once more as the children, who she could now see as two boys and a girl as she followed after them, vanished out of her sight and deeper into the woods that they apparently knew much better than she did. However, as the white sorceress continued to hurry after them, she failed to see another figure making their way through the trees at the same quickened pace, until the two of them hastily and clumsily collided into one another.

Both Lana and the person she had ran into, a young woman just a little younger than her, both tumbled to the ground upon bouncing off one another. "Hey!" the girl exclaimed in annoyance as the white sorceress quickly picked herself up off the ground before she even could. The girl had short, blonde hair and grass-green eyes, along with fair skin and a petite frame. She wore a simple outfit befitting someone who lived and worked in the country, with a sleeveless white top, tan pants, and no shoes. "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry," Lana said sincerely as she helped the girl up. "I just saw some kids running through the woods and I wanted to see if they were ok. They seemed scared."

"What?!" the girl exclaimed with a worried gasp. "Oh no! I told them not to wander off too far!" She took a quick glance around the woods before calling out as loud as she could. "Colin! Talo! Beth! Come here, now! It's me, Ilia!"

No less than a few seconds later, the three children reemerged from the woods, all of them out of breath and wide eyed. They were all dressed in the same simple manner of clothing as the girl was, though in varying fashions, giving the white sorceress the idea that they might be either family, or at least from the same place. The girl crossed her arms and frowned at them as they came to stand before her, as Lana watched on curiously.

"What did I tell you guys before you left the village?" the girl asked them all, concern and frustration filling her tone.

"Not to go into the field…" the younger of the two boys said sheepishly. He had messy brown hair and a roguish look in his eyes as he held a toy slingshot in his hand.

"Mm hm…" the girl said with a nod, still upset with them. "And where did you go?"

"Into the field…" the younger girl said, glancing down at her feet. She was about the same age as the younger boy, with short auburn hair and an expression on her face that feigned innocence.

The older girl simply nodded once more as she looked to the older boy, who had blonde hair and a wooden sword strapped to his back, a look of guilt in his eyes as she stared at him with scrutiny. "Colin, you were supposed to be in charge," the girl said with a sigh. "What would your father say if he knew that you guys went out there without any adults?"

"But Ilia," the younger boy protested. "Mr Rusl was out there, and so were all of his friends from Castle Town! We saw them, fighting against a whole bunch of monsters, before we got scared and ran back."

"Monsters?!" Lana suddenly cut in, knowing that this information was important to her mission. "You saw monsters out there?"

All three kids nodded, all of them looking at the white sorceress curiously yet cautiously, as they knew they were not supposed to talk to strangers. Lana was quick to realize this and she immediately righted herself. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said with a small, good-natured smile. "I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Lana. I'm with a group of soldiers who are passing through here."

"Nice to meet you, Lana," the older girl said politely. "I'm Ilia. And this," she said, pointing to the older boy first. "Is Colin," She referred to the younger boy next. "Talo," and finally, she motioned to the young girl. "And Beth. We're from Ordon Village, a little to the south of here."

All three of the children smiled up at the white sorceress, who returned their grins kindly. "You're really pretty…" Talo muttered bashfully as he looked up at her, clearly taken by her exotic looks.

Lana let out a small giggle and a blush as she playfully ruffled his hair, already charmed by these children. "Why thank you," she said sweetly, before making her tone serious once more. "So… you all were saying something about monsters in the field?"

"Yeah!" Beth piped up. "There were so many of them and they were all so scary! And that's not all!"

"There were also these huge patches of darkness all over the place," Colin said with concern. "We weren't out there for long, but I think that the monsters were coming out of them!"

"Patches of darkness…?" Lana muttered to herself with a confused frown, but before she could question the kids anymore, Ilia was quick to cut in.

"Alright, that's enough," she said, clearly not believing them. "I think you guys better head on back to the village. Your parents are all worried sick about you."

The children begrudgingly agreed to this and headed off, but not before they all gave Lana a fond farewell. Ilia shook her head as she watched them go, placing her hands on her hips before she turned back to the white sorceress. "Sometimes those kids drive me to my wit's end when I have to watch them…" she muttered to herself. "So, you were saying that you were with a group of soldiers? What are you all doing out here so far from the castle, especially if there are monsters attacking in the field?"

"We're heading there now actually," Lana said, taking a glance in the direction of where her soldiers were still waiting for her. "We just need to find our way out of these woods. We don't know them very well…"

"Well, I do!" Ilia said with an eager smile. "Me and my best friend used to explore them all the time. I could lead you and your soldiers to the field."

"Really?" the white sorceress asked. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Ilia said with a wave of her hand as her and Lana began to head back to regroup with the troops, something that they quickly did as they all began to march towards the open fields.

"So, are you all part of Princess Zelda's army?" Ilia asked Lana as they walked through the forest.

"Um…" the white sorceress hesitated, knowing that the girl was referring to the princess of the era of Twilight instead of the princess of the present, but she decided not to reveal she was from another time period unless she absolutely had to. "You could say that…"

Ilia's expression lit up upon hearing this, though for what reason, Lana wasn't sure why. "Oh, then do you know Link?" she asked with a fond smile, not seeing how the white sorceress's eyes widened upon hearing mention of the hero. "He sometimes trains with the soldiers, teaching them some of the fancy sword tricks he learned during his quest."

Lana bit her lip for a moment or two before she realized that the Link that Ilia was talking about was none other than the Hero of Twilight, not the hero of her era. Of course, the white sorceress knew a great deal about all of the heroes of Hyrule from having watched them across time, and so this one was no different. "Uh… I've heard of him," she finally answered with a shrug, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "How do you know him?"

"Well, we were best friends for years…" Ilia said with a small, somewhat sad smile. "But, ever since his mission ended, I haven't seen him much. He sometimes comes by the village to see me and the kids, but not much anymore…"

"I'm sorry…" Lana said with a frown as she remembered that, upon the completion of his quest to save Hyrule, the Hero of Twilight had become disillusioned and distant for some reason, though she couldn't exactly remember why at the moment.

The girl shrugged and let out a wistful sigh as the boarder of the woods finally came into view. "I'm sure he'll come around someday," she said hopefully, before the topic was dropped altogether. "But for now, the field is right past these trees. Since there's monsters roaming around, I should probably head back to Ordon too. If I don't then my father will worry himself into a frenzy over me."

"Alright," Lana said as she gave her troops the command to move into the field. "Thanks for leading us here, Ilia."

"No problem," Ilia said with a smile as she turned to head back into the woods. "Good luck out there, Lana. And… if you do happen to see Link… Tell him I said hi."

"I will," the white sorceress said with a kind, understanding smile as the two of them parted ways, knowing that she was going to see Link eventually, just not the one that the girl was referring to.

Once Ilia was gone, Lana stepped out of the woods herself, joining the rest of her troops in the open fields of the era of Twilight. However, the sight that she saw was completely jarring to say the least. The Hyrule Field of this time period was certainly vast, and in many ways, it bore semblance to the Hyrule Field of the present, save for a huge difference that was certainly disturbing. Everywhere the white sorceress looked, the kingdom was consumed in shadow. The darkness existed in thick patches, just as Colin had said, barred off by unnatural walls which obstructed light completely. Though she knew of the Twilight Realm and its temporary merge of the world of light during the era of Twilight, Lana had never seen it firsthand. And yet, she had no idea what could be covering such a complete coverage of the land. By all means, it seemed as though the point in which the white sorceress and her soldiers had happened into should have been free of Twilight, but its otherworldly shadows existed here nonetheless.

"So…" Lana mused as she continued to take in the sight of the besieged kingdom, taking note of the bulbin forces raging all over the place in hordes as thick as the Twilight itself. "This is what Hyrule looked like when Twilight invaded it… Fascinating…"

"Do you think the Gate of Souls is anywhere nearby, Miss Lana?" the captain asked as the other troops began to valiantly rush forward to attack the enemy head on.

The white sorceress bit her lip as she glanced over the large land spread before them once more, using a bit of her magic to try and locate their goal but finding nothing. "I… don't know…" she said with a frown. "With the land covered as it is, I can't really pinpoint the Gate of Souls. Always something… For now, I think we'd better try to clear things up here. Maybe then we'll get a better lead."

"Yes, ma'am," the captain said as he gave an order to the fighting troops before he joined them himself. "Careful! We can hardly see the enemy through these blasted shadows!"

Knowing that there was no more time to simply stand around and gawk, Lana also raced forward, her book of sorcery at the ready as she ran through the field, taking down any monster that crossed her path. However, she was quick to notice something troubling about the enemy forces, something that only added onto her curiosity about the Twilight patches all over the land. "Who's leading these monsters?" the white sorceress said to herself warily, not knowing that someone had overheard her.

"That's what we'd like to know," a male voice not too far from behind Lana spoke, startling her as she spun around to see a group of five warriors gathered together, finishing off a few bulbins who had apparently planned on attacking her from behind. The group consisted of three men and two women, all of varying ages. The oldest of them was a man most likely in his sixties, though he still looked quite capable, dressed in industrial-looking clothes and wielding an axe in battle. The second oldest man was most like in his thirties, wearing clothes that were telling of a resident of Ordon as he bore a finely-crafted sword. The youngest man of the group was probably in his late teens or early twenties, and he had a scholarly look to him, based on his spectacles and the fact that he shakily wielded a dagger. Of the two women, the younger one was around the same age as the young man, with stark raven hair, sturdy battle armor, a thin blade and a calm, almost bored expression. The older woman was sitting on the seat of a covered wagon, holding the reigns of the dark horse hitched to it. She was most likely in her forties and had tied-up red hair and a robust, sturdy build and a kind smile.

"Oh, hello," Lana greeted them all with a smile, realizing that they were also here to fight against the dark forces throughout the field. "Thanks for covering me. My name is Lana. Who are all of you?"

"We're a group of… freedom fighters, in a way," the older woman said with a sly smile before she pointed to herself. "The name's Telma," she began, before nodding on to the rest of the group to introduce themselves as well.

"I'm Ashei, yeah?" the younger woman said, digging the tip of her blade into the soil as she kept her neutral expression up.

"I'm Shad," the scholarly young man said with a polite smile as he extended a hand for the white sorceress to shake. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear."

"I'm Rusl," the middle-aged man said with a warm grin. "It's nice to meet you, Lana."

"And I'm Auru," the older man said, also shaking her hand firmly. "What's a young woman such as yourself wandering around these fields for when such danger is about?"

"Oh, well I was trying to figure out what's going on here," Lana said as she closed her book. "You all wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

"Not really, honey," Telma said with a frown. "These beasts came completely out of nowhere just a few hours ago and they just keep coming!"

"The five of us have been doing everything we can to get rid of them, but there's just so many," Rusl said with a fretful sigh. "It's a good thing that the princess finally sent some of her troops to help deal with them."

"Actually, they're my troops," the white sorceress clarified. "We're looking for something called the Gate of Souls… Have any of you ever heard of it before?"

The members of the group exchanged a confused glance for a moment before Shad spoke up. "I'm terribly sorry, but I've never heard of such a thing before," he said as he lifted up his small journal and gave Lana an inquisitive look. "But I would simply love to hear more about it!"

"We don't have time for you to do more 'research'," Ashei deadpanned, rolling her eyes at him. "We have to figure out how to get rid of these pests once and for all, yeah?"

"Well then, look no further!" Lana exclaimed with a smile. "Finding the Gate of Souls is the key to stopping the monsters from coming. We just have to find it first."

"Gate of Souls…" Auru mused for a moment. "I've heard of some sort of cursed mirror resting in the desert before… That wouldn't happen to be what you're looking for, would it?"

"Oh, no," the white sorceress shook her head, knowing well what he was referring to. "I'm not looking for the Mirror of Twilight. The Gate of Souls is a lot different. It-"

Before Lana could tell them anything else about the gate, a sudden cry of fear sounded out across the field, specifically coming from the small village located not too far to the west of their current position. "Eek!" the voice of what sounded like a young girl squeaked out in terror. "Someone help! I'm in big trouble!"

"Who was that?" Telma asked in concern, pulling her wagon, which was full of provisions for the warriors, up closer towards the village.

"Sounds like someone needs help in that village over there…" Lana said with a frown, already starting to move towards it as well. "We should go check it out!"

The members of the group all nodded in agreement, but they decided to split up at this juncture, with Telma, Rusl and Auru staying in the field to help aid Lana's troops, while Shad and Ashei went with the white sorceress. The young trio dashed off into the decrepit-looking village, which seemed to be abandoned amidst all of the monsters besetting it. Even though finding the Gate of Souls was Lana's main goal, she knew that she could not simply leave this village, and the sole villager within it to the enemy.

As Lana, Shad and Ashei cut their way through the monsters, the latter two were quick to notice the white sorceress's mystical fighting style. "Are you using… magic?" Ashei asked as both her and Shad watched her take down a few bulbins using a barrier.

"Yeah," Lana said with a shrug, not wanting to make a big deal of it.

"How fascinating!" Shad said as his eyes flashed with excitement behind his glasses, his desire to learn getting the better of him again. "Tell me, did you learn your craft or were you born with it? Is it a widely practiced art where you're from? Have you-"

"No time, yeah?!" Ashei scolded him harshly as she cut down several monsters at once, while Lana simply let out a small giggle at their bickering. However, before the levity could go on for too long, the endangered villager let out another frightened scream.

"Can anyone hear me?!" the villager cried desperately. "My name is Agitha! Someone, help!"

"We'll be right there!" Lana called out as loud as she could in response. "Just hold on a minute!" Knowing that there was no more time to waste, the white sorceress turned to her two allies as they continued to pick of the monsters surrounding them. "You guys deal with them, while I go save the village, ok?"

Ashei and Shad nodded in agreement with this plan as they both continued to fight in their drastically different ways, though they seemed to cooperate well enough even though they continued to argue. Satisfied that they would be alright on their own, Lana continued to head deeper into the village, until she finally spotted the source of the trouble, a huge horde of monsters of varying types surrounding a poor, defenseless young girl.

"D-don't squish me!" the girl squealed fearfully, trembling in terror as she found herself backed up against the rock wall behind her with nowhere to go.

The monsters were quick to notice this too as one of the bulbins raised its large weapon to strike her, but before it could even come down, several bursts of electrifying magic rained down upon the entire horde, striking them down in one fell swoop. The girl let out another frightened shout upon seeing this until she saw that her attackers were no more, and her rescuer was quick to leap in before her.

Lana let out a sigh of relief as she landed before the girl, getting a better opportunity to see her. She was about ten years old or so, clad in a rather fancy blue dress adorned with a pink butterfly motif and white, puffy sleeves. On her back was a pair of fake, sparkling butterfly wings and on one of her arms hung a basket filled with bottles while she held onto a frilled parasol. Her blond hair was tied up into two wavy ponytails and underneath her lavender eyes were dots of multicolor makeup that she had clearly done herself, though it fit her style well. The girl certainly looked curious, but her bright, thankful smile gave the white sorceress that she was innocent and that this battlefield was clearly no place for her.

"Close one…" Lana said as she approached the girl to make sure she was unharmed. "Are you alright?"

"Yes! I am, thanks to you!" the girl said with a cheerful grin. "And who might you be, ma'am?"

"I'm Lana," the white sorceress said with a kind smile. "And… you said your name was… Agitha, right?"

"Oh, yes, I am!" she said with an eager nod. "I am Agitha, Princess of the Insect Kingdom!" She topped off her introduction with a small curtsey, letting out a light giggle as she did so.

"Princess of the… what?" Lana asked in confusion, before realizing that this title must have been self-employed and pretend, most likely part of a game on the part of the young girl.

"The Insect Kingdom, silly!" Agitha exclaimed, still grinning bubbly. "Home to all of the sweet, adorable little bugs that I can find and bring back with me to my castle! In fact, I came all this way to look for more guests to take home with me, but then I was attacked by those awful beasties! They would have trampled me like an ant if you hadn't showed up! Speaking of which… what are you doing out here with such trouble about?"

"Oh, well… I'm looking for the Gate of Souls," the white sorceress explained, shutting her book as she let out a sigh of exasperation at her own failure at this task. "I just… don't know where to look…"

"Gate of Souls…" Agitha mused, placing a finger to her chin as she pondered this for a moment or two. "Never seen one before. But… I can take you to exactly where you want to go!"

Lana frowned in absolute bewilderment upon hearing this, wondering if it was another one of the pretend games that the insect princess seemed to enjoy playing. Of course, the white sorceress was patient and she certainly did have a special place in her heart for children, but she knew that time was of the essence and she didn't have much of it to waste playing games. But, nonetheless, she decided to indulge Agitha all the same. "Um… how would you do that?" she asked, wondering what the insect princess was going to do next.

Agitha's smile widened as she reached into her basket and pulled out one of the bottles inside of it, opening it and revealing what was contained inside: a small butterfly, perhaps the most beautiful one Lana had ever seen before. It had glistening blue iridescent wings and based on the aura it gave off, the white sorceress could tell that it was magical. "With this Goddess Butterfly of course!" the insect princess exclaimed, looking at the lovely creature with admiration as it flittered close to her, almost as if it trusted her. "They're very rare. I found this one just the other day flittering out near Castle Town! It can guide you anywhere, and so I'm sure it will be able to guide us through the Twilight Realm!"

Lana stared at the Goddess Butterfly in wonder for a moment or two before giving Agitha a bright smile. "That's a great idea, Agitha!" she said joyfully, glad that she finally had a sure-fire way to find the Gate of Souls. "Let's do it!

"Thanks," the insect princess said with a small giggle before she turned to the butterfly. "Now, Li'l Miss Butterfly, can you guide us to the Gate of Souls, please?"

Immediately responding to this request, the sacred butterfly flittered up into the air and took off while both Lana and Agitha watched it go, though it waited high out of the reach of the monsters for them to start following it. "Li'l Miss Butterfly says we should go this way!" the insect princess said as she began to run after the butterfly. "C'mon! We mustn't be tardy!"

Knowing that this was her best lead, Lana began to give chase as well, but before she could get too far, Ashei and Shad caught up with her once more. "So, you saved the villager, yeah?" Ashei asked in usual blunt way.

"Yeah," the white sorceress said with a smile as she nodded towards Agitha, who was a ways ahead of the three of them, giggling playfully as she chased the Goddess Butterfly. "Her name is Agitha, and she has a special butterfly that can lead us to the Gate of Souls!"

"A butterfly, hm?" Shad mused, straining his eyes to get a better glimpse of the Goddess Butterfly from below. "How very peculiar… Say, isn't that young girl from Castle Town? The one who adores insects above all else?"

"Yeah, she is," Ashei confirmed, raising an eyebrow at Lana as if to question her judgment in allies. "You sure she can lead us anywhere? She seems kinda… out there…"

"I know…" the white sorceress admitted, though she always liked to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, which was why she had not turned the insect princess's aid away. "But that Goddess Butterfly is on the mark, I'm sure of it! It is magical after all."

"Really?" Shad asked with interest, but before he could say anything else, Ashei grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back into the fray as they fought off the monsters blocking the path out of the village. However, as they did so, Lana was quick to notice the bulbins rushing towards Agitha, who was absent minded to their presence as she continued to skip behind the butterfly innocently. The white sorceress knew that she wouldn't be able to make it to the insect princess in time to save her in time, so all she could do from her current position was let out a warning call.

"Agitha!" Lana shouted firmly to the young girl, who glanced behind her upon hearing her name. "Watch out!"

The insect princess let out a gasp as she saw how many monsters had been following her, but she quickly reached into her basket once more. "Bad beasties!" she said to the monsters with a pout before she let out a flood of golden moths their way. The insects were quick to tear the bulbins through and end them in easily, allowing Agitha to continue on her way, whistling brightly all the while and leaving Lana, Ashei and Shad all very impressed and a bit humbled at how they had severely underestimated their new allies.

Because of this, the insect princess was the first to make it to the doors of a keep that was seated in the center of one of the patches of Twilight. The other three entered into it cautiously, along with several of the white sorceress's support troops, only to find that it brought them no ill effects. But all the same, Lana knew that the Twilight had to be dispelled; it was supplying the monsters with extra strength and even more than that, it was unnatural against the light that filled Hyrule on its own.

"Those doors are locked…" Agitha said with a frown as she approached the gate barring their entrance into the keep. "But that's no problem! I can handle this!" With a clever smile, the insect princess pulled two of her thin hair pins and dug them into the lock, moving them around skillfully until the door unbolted mere seconds later.

"Wow, kid," Ashei said to the insect princess with a small grin. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"A pair of termites once taught me that little door-opening trick!" Agitha said with cheerfully as she headed into the keep, calling upon more of her insect friends to help fight the monsters filling it. "Li'l Butterfly is getting scared," she said fretfully upon noticing the Goddess Butterfly retreating close to her for protection once more. "I think the darkness in this keep needs to go!"

Knowing that the darkness certainly couldn't last, the other three also joined her in fighting, and between the four of them, the keep was soon free on monsters. However, the moment they captured it, a bright light filled the surrounding area, blinding all of them for a moment or two until their vision cleared, allowing them all to see that the skies were no longer covered with the shadows of twilight but rather the light of day instead.

"Oh…" Lana said as she understood what had just happened. "I get it. Capturing keeps in the Twilight patches frees them from the Twilight! Of course!"

"We can go tell Telma and the others that," Ashei offered. "That way we can get rid of the Twilight while you two follow that butterfly, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan," Lana said with a parting nod as Shad and Ashei took off to the east.

"Look!" the insect princess exclaimed excitedly, pointing towards the Goddess Butterfly and directing Lana's gaze there. "Now that the darkness is gone, Li'l Miss Butterfly is happy again! She's leading us again!" Already, Agitha was on her way once more and so the white sorceress followed suit as the butterfly headed to the north, or more specifically towards the great bridge that covered a large gap. Lana soon found herself at the front of the troops again, diligently following only a few feet behind the butterfly, until they were met with a rather dangerous obstacle.

A legion of monsters, far different from the ones the white sorceress's troops had been fighting this whole time, stood in the way of Lana and her soldiers. The forces before them were composed of stalchildren and darknuts, all of which appeared to be hostile, but none of them attacked as the group parted in the middle, allowing their commander to come forward.

The one who was apparently leading these monsters was a small, imp-like being, only a few feet tall in statue as she glided forward casually, a tiny hand on her wide hip. She had pale blue skin marked with dark patches and glowing blue markings upon and upon her head she wore a strange stone headdress that covered one of her red and yellow eyes and flowing out behind her was a ponytail of orange hair secured with a shackle. The imp smiled at the troops opposing her forces mischievously for a moment before holding up a shadowy orb, revealing the prize she had captured within it: the Goddess Butterfly. "Looking for this?" she asked knowingly, her voice high pitched and exotic.

"Let it go!" Lana demanded firmly. "That insect is important!"

"Now why would I do that?" the imp asked, her grin turning into a scowl. "So it can fly around and spread poison on my forces?"

"Poison?" the white sorceress asked in confusion, knowing that there was no way that such a sacred creature could ever cause any harm.

However, before anyone could say another word, the Lana's troops began to part ways themselves, allowing the insect princess to nudge and push her way forward herself. Actually, the butterfly you see now is not of a poisonous genus, I can assure you!" Agitha said firmly, stopping her foot in anger at the imp for even assuming something so horrible about one of her precious insects.

"Genus…?" the imp asked, both aghast and annoyed. "I could care less about something stupid like that when I have much more important things to do!"

"Oh…" the insect princess said, though she was not as offended as she was before. "Well, that's a Goddess Butterfly actually. If you ask it kindly, it will guide you anywhere you want to go. Isn't that nice?"

"Agitha, no!" Lana exclaimed, trying to stop the insect princess from revealing any other important information to the enemy, but it was already too late.

"Guide me anywhere, huh?" the imp asked, glancing at the butterfly above her palm as she smiled darkly once more. "Hey! Butterfly!" she shouted to the Goddess Butterfly, freeing it from the orb she had trapped it in. "Take me to that ugly witch!"

The Goddess Butterfly, in answer to this new command, glided up into the air and began to glide off, and the imp immediately set off after it. "Ugly witch?" Lana asked herself in confusion for a moment, before her eyes widened with realization as to who the imp had been referring to. "Cia!"

"Oh my…" Agitha said with a worried frown as she watched her butterfly fly away while the troops pressed on to follow it. "Whatever should we do?"

The white sorceress's mind was racing as she realized that if the butterfly was guiding the imp to the east like it was instead of to the south where the portal was, then the black witch must certainly be within the era of Twilight, though for what reason, Lana had no idea. But all the while, she did know that if Cia was here, it was worth taking the opportunity to stop her, nipping this problem in the bud and making things easier, not just for her, but for Link, Impa, and Sheik as well. However, as Lana began to head onwards after both the imp and the butterfly, her and her troops were quickly stopped in their tracks by the monsters still standing in their way. "Guess we'll just have to fight it out…" the white sorceress said with determination as she prepared her book to keep on fighting.

Lana was quick to rip her way through the enemies in her path, with both her soldiers and Agitha aiding in the fight and before too long she was chasing after the imp once more, much to her aggravation.

"Not you again!" the imp growled as she glared back at the white sorceress while she glided through the air after the butterfly. "Underlings!" she shouted to her troops who were quickly following Lana's forces. "Hold them back! The black witch is mine!"

"Wait!" Lana tried to call out to the imp, believing that if they were both after Cia, then perhaps they were on the same side. However, it was already too late as the imp pressed on quickly ahead, clearly not wanting to listen to reason in the midst of her apparent anger.

"Oh no!" Agitha cried out worriedly as she came to stand beside the white sorceress as they both watched in dismay as the Goddess Butterfly and the imp both flew out of their reach. "Li'l Butterfly, come back! Miss Lana, that angry kitty just drove Li'l Miss Butterfly away!"

"I know…" Lana said with a fretful sigh. "But don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile as she placed a hand on the insect princess's shoulder. "I'll get it back. Agitha, for now I need you to return to the village where it's safe, ok?"

Agitha hesitated for a moment, looking off in the direction that the Goddess Butterfly had gone with a frown before relenting. "Well… ok…" she finally agreed, much to the white sorceress's relief. After all, the last thing Lana wanted was for the young girl to get hurt in this fight. "Please keep Li'l Butterfly safe!"

"Will do," the white sorceress said with a confident smile as she saw the insect princess off before returning to the task at hand, following the imp and the butterfly and hoping that Cia was at the end of their path. The butterfly seemed to be leading everyone to the northeast, but to get to their intended destination, they all had to pass through another Twilight patch, and it was that there that the white sorceress finally managed to catch up to the imp. Lana was hesitant to engage however, especially when she saw the imp ripping through Cia's dark forces savagely using her strange hair, which she seemed to be able to control and contort any way she wanted.

"Man, she's a lot stronger than I thought!" the white sorceress said to herself as she made sure to keep her and her troops out of the imp's sight. "I don't think I can take her in a fair fight…"

"Impressed?" the imp asked with a knowing grin as she glanced over in Lana's direction, somehow having seen her and her troops nonetheless. "You should be! I'm a lot stronger when I'm within the Twilight. Just one of the perks of being a Twili! But for now, I don't have time to deal with you! I have to take care of that witch once and for all!"

"A Twili?" Lana mused in realization as the imp moved on. "That explains it!" The white sorceress knew from her vast knowledge of Hyrule's history that the Twili were a people who dwelled within the shadows themselves, and that they drew their power from those shadows, which meant… "Maybe if we can take the Twilight keeps, her power will weaken!" she exclaimed excitedly, before turning to her troops. "Everyone, go tell Ashei, Shad, and the others that capturing the Twilight keeps should be our main priority!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the captain saluted as the troops following Lana headed off to various points throughout the field, leaving the white sorceress to deal with both the imp and the black witch. However, as Lana continued onward in pursuit of the imp, both of them soon heard the voice of the one they had been looking for, echoing wickedly throughout the area.

"Do I hear some mangy stray caterwauling about me?" Cia asked teasingly, referring to the imp. "Then maybe it needs a playmate! Troops! Why don't you go in my stead and give that… ugh, thing… a taste of fun?"

The imp clenched her tiny fists in fury upon hearing the black witch's words, more resolved than ever to take her down. "Why don't you come out here and face me yourself, you witch?!" she shouted bitterly, but Cia didn't answer with anything more than a simple laugh. Fuming in rage, the imp rushed forward to the furthest keep to the northeast, where the butterfly was hovering over excitedly, having reached its destination at last.

"Hey!" the imp hissed hatefully upon finally catching sight of the black witch, who simply stood calm and confidently in the center of her keep with a triumphant grin. "You! Lift the curse you put on me now or else!"

Cia simply laughed mockingly, clearly not taking her seriously. "Now, why would I do that?" she asked sarcastically. "After all, you're much less of a threat to me like this…" She let out a sinister laugh, one that absolutely enraged the imp, who was to the point that she could barely contain her anger any longer. However, before either of them could say another word, Lana finally emerged into the keep herself, having broken through both the imp and the black witch's force.

"Cia!" the white sorceress exclaimed, already prepared to fight.

"Oh, look who it is…" Cia said with amusement. "Hello, Lana. Welcome to the time of Twilight! I wasn't expecting to see you here, of all people…"

"Cia, you need to stop this madness right now!" Lana said firmly. "Close the Gate of Souls and return everything to normal, or else I will fight you!"

"Like I'm afraid of you, Lana…" the black witch said, rolling her eyes under her mask. "So let me guess… You all decided to split up and close each separately? How foolish… Tell me, which era did Link go to? I'd simply love to see him in action…"

"Link?" the imp murmured to herself in confusion, her eyes widening upon mention of that name. "How do you know-"

"I mean it, Cia," the white sorceress said, ignoring the black witch's question and cutting off the bewildered imp. "Stand down!"

Cia let out an exasperated sigh as she held her staff up, a dark aura surrounding her. "So sorry!" she said, her smooth grin returning. "But I don't have time to play with you right now! I have much more… important matters to attend to! Goodbye!"

Both Lana and the imp knew that the black witch was about to retreat, and of course, they both wanted to stop her before she could, but it was too late. Before they could catch her, she vanished from the scene entirely, leaving a disappointed white sorceress and an infuriated imp behind.

"Are you kidding!?" the imp growled in rage. "She escaped because you got in my way!" she hissed, pointing at Lana. "Are you on her side?!"

"No, not at all!" the white sorceress said quickly. "We're not enemies! I just came to get that butterfly back!"

"Hush!" the imp exclaimed, flying in dangerously close to her new foe. "I'm in no mood to talk about stupid insects! Now I have to look all over Hyrule for her again and it's all your fault!"

"But I was only trying to stop her too, just like you are!" Lana protested, trying to convince the imp that they were really on the same side, but clearly, she wasn't going to hear it.

"I don't care!" the imp shouted hotly. "I'll cover this whole field in Twilight before I let that witch get away again!"

"What?" the white sorceress asked, her eyes growing wide. "Wait… did you create the shadows here?! Because they've been spawning monsters everywhere!"

The imp finally cracked a smirk, though it was clear that she was still quite angry. "Created? Ha!" she laughed roguishly. "You don't realize it, but you're talking to Princess Midna of the Twili people! I'm the ruler of the shadows themselves!"

"What?!" Lana exclaimed, finally recognizing the imp's place in Hyrule's history. "You're the Twilight Princess?!"

"The one and only!" Midna said with pride. "But I don't have any more time for idle chit-chat! I have a bone to pick with that witch friend of yours and if you get in my way again, then I'll just have to take you down right along with her!"

The white sorceress was unable to say anything else as the Twilight Princess flew off, heading off to look for Cia once more, even though Lana knew that she was long gone by now. But, the white sorceress also knew that she had not another moment to waste. Clearly, Midna wouldn't see reason in her immense anger, and so there was only one way to get her to calm down. "Fine!" Lana called out after the Twili imp, who simply ignored her in her aggravation. "I didn't want to fight you, but you leave me with no choice! I need that butterfly back, otherwise we won't be able to find the Gate of Souls!"

However, instead of chasing after Midna like before, Lana opted for a different tactic. Instead, she left the keep that Cia had been in through the way she had come in, giving her a good vantage point of the rest of the field. From what she could see, two of the five Twilight keeps had been taken by her forces, and a third was well on the way there as well. After a moment or two of observation, the white sorceress managed to spot her newfound allies within the Twilight keep just to the south of her location, all of them fighting to clear it out. She raced towards it quickly, hoping to join them and tell them more of the situation.

"Hey guys!" Lana greeted the group as she jumped into the fray eagerly. "How's it going?"

"We're almost done taking this Twilight keep," Rusl informed her. "A group of your soldiers went to secure the one to the east and we already took the two to the west."

"Good, that's great!" the white sorceress said with a smile. "What about the last one?"

"It's just past the Bridge of Eldin," Auru said as he plunged his axe into the head of a bulbin. "But the monsters guarding it are so thick that we can't quite break through to it."

"That must be Midna's base then…" Lana mused to herself, before giving her own report. "The enemy commander fled, but her troops are still here. The leader of the stalchildren troops however, is still here, and she gets her strength from the Twilight. That's why we need to get rid of them all as soon as possible!"

"Well, here's another one down then, yeah?" Ashei said as she ripped her sword through the last monster in the keep, capturing it and dispelling the Twilight.

"I say!" Shad cut in, adjusting his spectacles as he looked out of the southern gate of the keep. "Isn't that the young insect-loving lass from earlier?"

"What?" Lana questioned as she joined him in looking out, only to see Agitha skipping through the fields towards the east, or more specifically, in the direction that Midna had headed off in. Still worried for her welfare against so many monsters and the clearly dangerous Twilight Princess herself, the white sorceress was quick to rush out of the keep, with her older allies following suit behind her. "Agitha!" she called out, stopping the insect princess in her tracks. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lana," Agitha said politely. "But I couldn't just sit around doing nothing! I'm going to get Li'l Butterfly back now!"

"Dang it!" Lana said in exasperation, turning to the group for a moment as the insect princess continued onward. "I told her to stay back in the village!"

"Do you want one of us to escort the little dearie back, honey?" Telma offered kindly, but the white sorceress simply shook her head.

"No, its fine," Lana said with a sigh, knowing that the young girl was far too stubborn and determined to protect the Goddess Butterfly to stay put. "I'll go with her. After all, I can't just leave her alone out there."

The members of the group nodded in agreement with this as they all went off in their separate ways once more. Telma and Auru went off to tend to Lana's injured troops while Shad, Ashei and Rusl went to finish off to clear out as many remaining monsters as they could. The white sorceress and the insect princess, however, went to take care of the final Twilight keep, hoping that it could weaken the Twilight Princess enough for them to take her down. And take care of it they did, as it was nearly captured when the two of them arrived. After felling a few more monsters, the Twilight filling it was cleared out and light had been restored to most of the field, something that did not go unnoticed by Midna, who had tried to take up refuge in that very keep before the shadows vanished by it.

"What?" the Twilight Princess asked upon feeling her energy decrease dramatically. "Where'd my power go? Is someone closing off my patches of Twilight?!"

"Aha!" Lana exclaimed with an excited smile upon overhearing Midna's confusion. "I knew it! Shutting down sources of Twilight makes her a pushover!"

The Twili imp glared at both the white sorceress and the insect princess upon seeing them in the keep that was once hers, knowing that the two of them were certainly to blame for her loss of power. "So you think the Twilight's all gone, do you?" she asked bitterly, crossing her arms and scowling at them. "Aren't you clever… Great. Now I have no choice but to withdraw for now. I just need a few minutes…" With a quick spin, Midna suddenly vanished into thin air, having teleported in retreat.

"Oh no!" Agitha exclaimed upon seeing that Midna had taken the butterfly with her. "The kitty ran away!"

"Don't worry, Agitha," Lana reassured as she already began to lead the way out of the keep and to the north west, were the only shadows left in the land were. "We'll catch her and the butterfly."

"Yes!" the insect princess cheered, quickly following after the white sorceress. "Capture the kitty! She still has Li'l Miss Butterfly!"

The Bridge of Eldin was quite a ways away from their current position, and so along the way, Lana and Agitha were able to regroup with their allies and head towards it together, coming up with a battle plan as they went. The members of the group volunteered to create a diversion by fighting Midna's monsters guarding the bridge while the white sorceress and the insect princess went in to battle the Twilight Princess herself. And, for the most part, this plan was a success. The members of the group all charged against Midna's forces valiantly, using their respective skills to take on each enemy and cut them down. Once enough of them were dealt with, Lana and Agitha hurried on past them and onto the final Twilight keep, where, as the white sorceress had predicted, the Twili imp had set up her base.

Midna was quick to notice the intruders who had entered into her keep and she spun around to face them, just as angry as ever. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" she asked harshly. "What can't you just leave me alone?" She groaned in annoyance before glare daggers at both of them. "You know what? Fine! If you want a fight, let's do this!"

Neither Lana nor Agitha responded as they both took up offensive stances, the white sorceress readying her spell book while the insect princess prepared to call upon her bug friends once more. However, Midna took a moment to prepare herself for battle as she used a bit of her magic to cast a Twilit portal beneath her, beckoning something out of it. A wolf-like creature leaped forth out of the portal, bearing semblance to a creature of Twilight, and loyally posed itself so Midna could glide down and relax casually upon its back, clearly in charge of the beast in every way.

"What do you think of my little Twilit wolf?" the Twilight Princess asked with a coy giggle. "I created him all on my own. He reminds me of someone I once knew…" Midna's clever grin faded for just the briefest moment, but she was quick to right herself as she sat up upon the wolf's back, ready to fight. "Now… let's get started…"

As expected, Midna was the first to strike out against her opponents, commanding her loyal wolf to charge towards Agitha first as she believed it would be easier to take her out. The insect princess, however, retaliated by calling down one of her larger insect friends, a giant shimmering beetle, which not only protect her from the Twilight Princess's attack but also managed to knock her back. Midna fell off her wolf and to the ground with an angered growl, but she was quick to summon her beast once more. However, as she took the time to do so, Lana saw an opportunity to attack by sending some of her electrifying magic her way. The Twili imp managed to see it coming though and dodged out of the way, grinning triumphantly as she glided off of her wolf and high into the air, out of their reach.

"Is that all you got?" she asked teasingly, crossing her arms as she contorted her hand into the shape of a fist. The white sorceress knew what was coming, but she was too slow to move out of its path as the first collided roughly with her stomach, knocking her into the wall the keep and banging her up quite a bit. Lana was resilient however, as she forced herself to stand back up, before she quickly doubled over from the heavy strike, coughing up blood from the damage that the punch must have done to her insides.

"Miss Lana!" Agitha exclaimed worriedly, not even concerned that Midna planned on attacking her next. "Hey! Miss Kitty!" the insect princess said with an angry pout as she turned to the Twilight Princess, who was chuckling over her successful attack. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Kitty?" the Twilight Princess asked with a hot glare. "Do I look like a cat to you?!"

Midna didn't give Agitha time to answer as she came down and summoned her wolf once more, giving it the order to attack. The insect princess however, was prepared as she let out a bright giggle and glanced up to the sky, before a large golden butterfly swooped in from seemingly out of nowhere and allowed Agitha to leap onto its back, taking her high above the Twilight Princess, who simply watched in both confusion and amazement.

"What the…?" Midna asked herself, dumbfounded as to what was going on.

"A-Agitha?" Lana stammered, desperately trying to use her healing magic so she could get back into the fray.

The insect princess, however, simply laughed cheerfully as she glided upon the butterfly's back, before pointing towards the unsuspecting Twilight Princess, as if giving her insect friend an order to attack. Midna let out a surprised gasp as she realized what was happened, especially as the butterfly began to dive-bomb towards her, and so, she was quick to shield herself with her hair, hoping that it would protect her well enough. And yet, the strength of the attack was something that she could have never expected as the butterfly collided with her, stirring up the dust of the keep to the point that Lana was unable to see either Midna or Agitha, giving her no way of knowing who won the battle until it finally cleared.

The white sorceress let out a surprised gasp as she saw the Twilight Princess lying crumpled on the ground, while the insect princess stood nearby, completely unscathed as she brushed the dirt off of her dress. Having recovered enough, Lana approached them both with caution, just in case the Twili imp wasn't really defeated and was just putting up a front in order to take them both down.

"I… I can't believe it…" Midna muttered as she let out a groan of pain, slowly sitting up as she looked over herself, seeing all sorts of cuts and bruises. "Me, the Twilight Princess, completely beaten by a… bug… As if this situation couldn't get any more embarrassing…"

"Are you alright?" the white sorceress asked with a frown, knowing that she didn't really want to hurt the Twilight Princess, but simply to calm her down.

"Like you care…" the Twili imp said bitterly, picking herself up off the ground and crossing her arms.

"Oh, Miss Kitty, please?" Agitha spoke up, her tone hopeful and polite. "Pretty please, can you give back my friend Li'l Butterfly?"

Midna let out an aggravated sigh, but held her palm out nonetheless, causing the trapped Goddess Butterfly to appear above it. "Fine, take the dumb butterfly," she relented, letting the insect go so that it could flitter over to the insect princess, who greeted it affectionately. "But wait… You two aren't with that witch?"

"No, that's what I was saying before," the white sorceress clarified. "Completely the opposite actually. We're heading to the Gate of Souls to try and stop her."

"What?" the Twilight Princess exclaimed. "You should have led with that! She and I have some… unfinished business…"

"Like what?" Lana frowned inquisitively. "It must be serious if you're so mad about it."

"Oh, it is serious," Midna said with a scowl. "I used to be the beautiful, illustrious Princess of the Twilight Realm, until the witch and her cronies showed up and stole my kingdom from me, giving it to that worthless Zant and cursing me into this ugly impish form again!"

"Again?" the white sorceress asked in confusion.

The Twilight Princess rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I was cursed to look like this before when Twilight invaded Hyrule for the first time," she explained. "But once all that was over, I was restored to my true form, and I thought I would stay like that for good. Clearly, though, I was wrong…"

"I'm sorry…" Lana said sincerely, understanding well that Cia was causing all sorts of chaos, though she couldn't figure out why the black witch cursed the Twilight Princess in such a way. "But, maybe if we team up and work together, we can find Cia and defeat her, closing the Gate of Souls and saving both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm!"

"Hm…" Midna pondered this for a moment, before a sly smile crossed her features. "I like the way you think. You got a name?"

"It's Lana," the white sorceress said with a cordial smile. "And this is Agitha."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Kitty," the insect princess said with a curtsey and a giggle.

"Just for the record, I'm not a cat," the Twilight Princess said as patiently as she could. "I'm Midna, but I guess you already knew that."

"Say… you wouldn't happen to be the same Midna who traveled with the Hero of Twilight, are you?" Lana asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"That I am," Midna said with a fond smile, remembering her time with the hero, though it quickly turned to a look of confusion. "But wait… how do you know that?"

"Oh…" the white sorceress said, biting her lip as she realized that she had slipped up in remaining vague about her origins. And so, instead of coming up with an intricate lie, she decided to tell as much of the truth as she could. "Well… I'm not really from around here… In fact, me and my troops aren't from this time period at all. We're from centuries in the future, and so is Cia. We stepped back through time to find and close the Gate of Souls so we can stop the war that's currently going on in our Hyrule."

"The future, huh?" the Twilight Princess asked, clearly intrigued, but not bothered by this fact. "Who would have thought… So you say you're looking for something called the Gate of Souls…? It wouldn't happen to be a large, dark gate spewing out all sorts of monsters, right?"

"Why, yes it is," Lana said with a bewildered frown. "How did you know that?"

"Because something like that appeared in the Twilight Realm just before the witch showed up," Midna informed. "It's because of that thing that monsters have been flooding my home and scaring all of my people out of their wits. And if you wanna close it up, then I'll gladly help. Anything to get things back to normal around here…"

"Really? Thanks!" the white sorceress said with a smile, glad that the Twilight Princess had turned from foe to friend as she would certainly prove to be a valuable ally.

"Don't mention it," Midna said with a sly wink as they prepared to plan out their next move. "Just leave the black witch to me the next time we see her. I'll make sure to give her what for!"

* * *

**Well, that's that! Like I said, this was so much fun to write, even if it was LONG! I apologize for that, but I hope this can hold you guys over until next time, when we venture up to Death Mountain with Impa and Sheik! I also really hope that you guys enjoyed the cameos you requested for this chapter, as it took me forever to figure out how to incorporate them (I already have them figured out for the OoT chapters though, so yay!) For now though, I want to leave you with a recommendation first, to go to my profile and read my new SS AU, Between Heaven and Hell! It's gonna be really good (though really short!) Plus, I'd like to ask you all a little something: What character did you want to see in HW that didn't make the cut? For me, I really REALLY wanted to see Tetra from WW, but who knows? We might get her eventually! So, don't forget to let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time**!


	12. The Land of Myth

_Ok folks! So this one took a while because of writer's block, and personally I think I kinda rushed through it because dang i hate this stage in the game, but whatever. Be ready for another super LONG chapter, cause that's what this is! Anyway, onto the guest reviews!_

_**ShadowRogue**: Cameos are always super fun and there's even more in this chapter! I actually have seen that very abridge series and it cracked me up! I think anything parodying the Zelda series is the bee's knees!_

_**GrayishGirl**: I totally feel you! And Agitha is a pretty interesting character indeed!_

_**Arrowsheena**: I'm glad you like the style and descriptions, as those are two things I'm trying to get better at! And believe me when I say that Ghirahim is going to be a hoot!_

_**Blueheart100**: Thanks!_

_Ok, well with alll that outta the way, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 11: The Land of Myth_

The kingdom that spread out before Impa, Sheik, and their small force of soldiers upon going through their chosen portal seemed very much like the Hyrule they all knew, yet it was somehow very different. Instead of the land of Hyrule they were all so familiar with, they had ventured back to the era of the mythical Hero of Time.

The Hylian forces specifically emerged near the very center of this era's version of Hyrule Field, a series of lush, rolling hills that spanned on for miles. Immediately noticeable were the thick forests lining the southeastern border of the land, the towering mountain to the very north, and the castle to the north as well, though a noticeable aura of darkness was hovering over it. This gave the Sheikah guardian, who was quite well versed in her Hylian history, the impression that the point they had entered into was during the quest of the Hero of Time, before he defeated the dark lord who had claimed the Triforce of Power and conquered Hyrule while the hero was forced to slumber within the Sacred Realm for seven years.

"Alright, troops," Impa began authoritatively, moving to the front of the group of soldiers once they had all passed through the portal. "Our main objective is to find and close the Gate of Souls, but at the same time, keep an eye open for Princess Zelda. She may very well be here as well."

"Where do you suggest we start?" Sheik asked in her usual calm way.

The Sheikah guardian frowned as she surveyed the land around them, finding no signs of even any monsters that might be telling of the location of the gate. "I'm not exactly sure to be honest," she said thoughtfully, more to herself than the Sheikah warrior. "The Hyrule of this era is vast and unpredictable. It could take days of searching before we even find so much as a single clue…"

"Perhaps we should split up, then?" Sheik suggested. "In order to cover more ground?"

Impa glared at the Sheikah warrior upon hearing this suggestion, her distrust for her still as high as ever. Though Sheik hadn't made any sort of mutinous move against the Hylian forces yet, the Sheikah guardian immediately opposed this idea, for certainly dividing the troops present would be an easy way to thin out a third of Hyrule's forces. "We are not splitting up," Impa said firmly, crossing her arms. "This is an unknown territory to us, and so we're going to travel together throughout all of it."

Sheik didn't seem to surprise by Impa's resolve and so she simply nodded in agreement to it, understanding her reasoning. Before the Sheikah warrior could make another suggestion however, the Sheikah guardian interposed with an idea of her own. "See that wall up there?" she asked the group, referring to the rounded stone walls from behind which the tops of a few buildings could be seen just a mile or so to the north. "Maybe there's someone in there who might be able to help us. I say we go scout it out and see."

Sheik, as well as the rest of the troops, didn't see any problem with this plan and so they all readily agreed with it. After all, their starting position wasn't too far from the area in question, and so they all set out towards it in an organized formation, with the two Sheikah women leading the pack.

"The land is so barren and empty…" Sheik mused as she looked around the fields and saw no signs of life aside from them.

"According to the legends, when the dark lord took over Hyrule, his evil presence drove out most of the natural life in many parts of the kingdom," Impa informed, recalling her sufficient knowledge from studying Hyrule's history alongside Zelda for many years. "An aura of darkness pervades this land, but it is one that only the Hero of Time will drive out."

"Certainly, then, the hero must be well on into his quest," the Sheikah warrior surmised. "The aura of which you speak does not feel as strong as it could be. He must have already awakened a few of the honorable sages of legend."

"The sages?" the Sheikah guardian asked, knowing that such a detailed recount of the Hero of Time's mission to awaken the seven sages of the land was not widely known by most. "How do you about them?"

"Well, such things are well kept stories among the Sheikah, as you most likely well know," Sheik said somewhat mysteriously. "We do serve the purpose of being the legend keepers of the land, after all."

"_We_…" Impa scoffed to herself, glaring away from the Sheikah warrior. Even if Sheik was not truly a Sheikah, which is what Impa still very much believed, she certainly did have extensive knowledge on the elusive tribe, something that bothered the Sheikah guardian quite a bit. After all, how could her tribe's sacred, secretive traditions and history have been compromised so easily to have been discovered by whom Impa was certain was nothing more than an interloper in disguise.

No more discussion happened between the two Sheikah women as they approached the walled area, which, upon getting closer to it, they discovered that it appeared to be a small farm. Thanks to Impa's knowledge of ancient Hylian scripts, she was able to translate the sign at the entrance of the farm to read "Lon Lon Ranch". Deciding that there certainly must be at least one local inside of its gates that had heard or seen something concerning the Gate of Souls, Impa, Sheik, and a few of their troops entered inside to find a humble farmhouse, alone with a wooden stable, and the main feature of the ranch, a wide corral filled with several different types of horses. As the soldiers came into the corral area itself, they initially found not another person in sight amidst all of the horses and cuccos wandering around, much to their disappointment.

"Oh, hello!" a young, female voice chimed from behind the group, somewhat startling all of them. Impa and Sheik, along with their soldiers all turned to see a young woman emerging from the stable. She had long, orange-red hair that flowed down her back and bright blue eyes that matched her inviting smile well. She wore a white, short-sleeved top and a long pink skirt, along with a brown apron, leather boots, and a yellow ascot tied around her neck. "We weren't expecting anyone to come by today, especially a group of soldiers, but welcome to Lon Lon Ranch anyway! My name is Malon, and me and my dad run this place. Is there anything I can help you all with?"

"I believe so," Sheik said smoothly. "My name is Sheik, and this is Impa," she said, motioning to the Sheikah guardian who stood nearby. We're passing through the area with our troops looking for a portal known as the Gate of Souls. You happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Malon frowned in confusion. "Gate of Souls?" she asked, clearly having no idea what the Sheikah warrior was talking about. "I'm sorry, I've heard of any Gate of Souls before…"

"Well, then, have you heard of any strange happenings lately?" Impa asked, remembering what Lana had said about the Gate of Souls being able to produce monsters. "Any sort of trouble going on around Hyrule, or anything like that?"

"No more than the usual trouble…" the farm girl said with a shrug, clearly referring to the problems brought onto the normal people of the land thanks to the dark lord's oppressive rule. "Oh, but wait!" she exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "I was just in Kakariko about a day ago delivering milk and I did hear rumors of something unusual going on up there! Yeah… I think someone said something about the Gorons causing a ruckus, though I don't exactly remember…"

"The Gorons?" Sheik asked a bit worriedly. "But they are said to be a very kind, peaceful people."

"I know," Malon said with a concerned frown. "That's why it was so strange to hear them acting up like this! Apparently, they won't let anyone up onto Death Mountain at all! It's really weird…"

"Perhaps the Gate of Souls might be on the mountain then…" Impa pondered thoughtfully. "If the Gorons are in an uproar, then it might have something to do with invading monsters coming out from the gate."

"It would be worth a look," the Sheikah warrior nodded in agreement, before turning back to the farm girl once more. "Do you know of the quickest route to Death Mountain?"

"The fastest and easiest path is to go through Kakariko Village, just a little bit to the northeast of here," Malon said, her kind smile returning. "But… you're not really planning on going all the way up there, are you?"

"We have to," Impa said with resolve. "Our mission is to find that Gate of Souls and close it before it can cause any more damage to this land."

"Well, you're all quite brave then," the farm girl said, clearly impressed with their valor. "But before you go, wait right here for a minute. There's something I'd like to give you all."

The Sheikah women complied with this as Malon hurried back into the barn, before emerging a moment later with a cart laden with bottles. The farm girl picked one of them up and showed it to the group so that they could see the white liquid filling it. "Take these," she offered generously. "They're filled with our special Lon Lon Milk, the best in all of Hyrule! Its sure to give you the energy you need to get where you're going!"

"Thank you," Impa said with a grateful smile as she commanded a few of her men to take the cart out to the field where the rest of the soldiers were waiting and disperse the milk bottles.

"You're welcome," Malon said with a bright smile. "I wish there more I could do to help, but I have to stick around here and hold down the fort."

"Well, thank you for the help that you have given us," Sheik said reassuringly. "But I believe we must be off for now."

With another commanding nod, Impa gave the troops permission to move out and set a course for the mountain, and as they did so, the farm girl called out after them, her warm smile still apparent all the while as she saw them off. "Best of luck to all of you!"

* * *

Death Mountain was certainly an imposing place, even from afar. Its tall peak towered over the land, a ring of smoke from its volcanic heart surrounding the sharply pointed crest. The path leading towards the peak itself was steep and rocky, but the Hylian troops steadily trudged up it nonetheless, marching in an orderly line and constantly on the alert for any signs of monsters or the Gate of Souls alike.

Impa walked swiftly alongside the line of soldiers, her stern attention focused straight ahead as she went and her mind filled with thoughts. The Sheikah guardian thought back to the conversation she had with the hero the previous night concerning the Sheikah warrior and their apparently shared suspicions about her. Sheik had done relatively little to incriminate herself, yet at the same time, she hadn't really proved why she should be trusted either. Of course, Impa knew that the Sheikah warrior had saved her from Volga back at the Valley of Seers, but that could have very well been a part of her plans. The Sheikah guardian had never really been a paranoid person, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the suspicious feeling she got from Sheik. Something was certainly off about her, whether it was her appearance, her attitude, or her motivation, but whatever it was, Impa was determined to find out what it was.

Upon coming to this resolve, the Sheikah guardian slowed her pace and turned to glance behind her as she watched the Sheikah warrior make her way up the path as well. Sheik marched along at a much more casual pace, which was something else that also bothered Impa. The Sheikah warrior came off as very unconcerned and aloof when compared to the rest of them, who seemed too emboldened and passionate about their mission. In fact, it seemed as though she was a very passive playing in something that, like the Sheikah guardian was, she should have been very active in.

"You know, you could have accompanied either Link or Lana in their missions…" Impa began steadily, not wanting to let Sheik know that she was onto her ruse. "Why did you choose to follow me?"

The Sheikah warrior offered no response to this question as she simply walked past the Sheikah guardian, her expression unreadable as she refused to even glance Impa's way. The Sheikah guardian gave her a slight glare of derision at this, deciding not to let the matter go that simply. This time, she was going to get answers, no matter what she had to do.

"I can't figure you out…" Impa admitted as she walked a little ways behind Sheik. "How much do you really know of the Sheikah tribe?"

"I know as much as any other Sheikah," the Sheikah warrior said vaguely, still not glancing back. "But if you need a confirmation of this, then feel free to test me in any way you wish."

The Sheikah guardian scowled at this, knowing that from anyone else, these words would have sounded defiant, but Sheik simply spoke them in her monotonous way. "Very well then…" Impa said, thinking of a very basic question to ask. "Tell me; who is your tribe's leader?"

"Impa, which would be you," Sheik replied simply, as though it was obvious.

"Correct…" the Sheikah guardian said, though her brows still furrowed in confusion. "And yet, there is no one named Sheik in my tribe…"

Sheik finally turned around upon hearing this, her visible crimson eye cold and hardened. Impa suppressed the urge to smile in satisfaction, knowing that she was starting to get to her supposed "ally". "So then," the Sheikah guardian said, stepping in quite close to the Sheikah warrior. "Who does that make you? What are you really after?"

Sheik was silent for a long moment upon hearing this question, her manner as stoic as ever as Impa stared her down relentlessly. And, when she finally did answer, her response was just as cryptic and mysterious as ever. "I'm after exactly what you are," the Sheikah guardian said, looking her straight in the eyes. "The truth."

The Sheikah guardian found herself growing increasingly frustrated with the Sheikah warrior's mysterious ways. "How can you be after the truth when you're so clearly hiding something?" Impa accused harshly, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

"I am not hiding anything," Sheik said coldly, but Impa refused to believe her as easily as that.

"Oh really?" the Sheikah guardian hissed in muted fury. "So you can stand there and honestly tell me that you are not allied with the sorceress and that you've merely been sent to spy on us then?!"

"What?!" the Sheikah warrior asked, not hiding how absolutely confused she was upon hearing this. "What could have possibly led you to believe something like that?"

"Well, let's see…" Impa said with a burning scowl. "First you show up completely out of nowhere, then you refuse to tell us anything about yourself, and then you act as though you know something about the princess's whereabouts, but then you don't say anything that might help us find her! How can I possibly trust that you when all you've been is secretive and suspicious!?"

"Impa, I can promise you that I am not in working with the sorceress," Sheik said as calmly as possible, trying to avoid the inner hurt at even hearing Impa accusing her some something.

"Then prove it," the Sheikah guardian said, her tone low and angry as she stared the Sheikah warrior right in the eye, showing no sign of backing down whatsoever.

Sheik paused for quite a long time as Impa continued to stare her down relentlessly, her front of calm and aloofness finally seeming to cave in under pressure. The Sheikah guardian knew she had her right where she wanted her, for certainly the Sheikah warrior was lying and wouldn't be able to prove her loyalty in a believable way. However, Impa truly was surprised when Sheik slowly began to lift her hand towards her face coverings, as if she intended to finally remove them. "Alright…" the Sheikah warrior said softly, her heart pounding out of fear as she looked the Sheikah guardian directly in the eyes. "Impa, I'm really-"

Before Sheik could say anything else however, she was suddenly cut off by a small pink fairy, who had seemed to come out of nowhere and fly right between the two Sheikah women, completely breaking the heavy tension between them. "Oh, thank goodness!" the fairy exclaimed to herself briefly, somehow speaking in a language that both Sheik and Impa could understand, unlike the fairies of their time, which communicated in an indiscernible way. "Hey! Listen! I need your help!" The fairy chimed as she flew up above the Hylian troops as they all stopped to glance up at her.

"Help with what?" Sheik asked curiously, somewhat thankful for the interruption.

"Oh, it's awful!" the fairy said worriedly. "The Gorons! They-" She cut herself short however as she looked down at the two Sheikah women, letting out a surprised gasp as she flew in closer to both of them. "Wait… Sheik? Is that you?"

The Sheikah guardian gave the fairy a look of confusion. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Have we met?"

"Well, yeah!" the fairy said, admittedly just as bewildered as to why she wasn't recognized. "It's me! Navi! You know, Link's companion?"

"But… Link's fairy companion is named-" Impa began to say, before she remembered that they were in a different time period entirely and that certainly the Link that Navi was speaking of was not the hero from their era, but the legendary Hero of Time himself. "Oh, I understand…" she muttered to herself, realizing how that would be confusion.

Sheik also realized this about the same time as Impa, and so she was quick to clarify for Navi. "You have me confused for another," she explained. "I _am _Sheik, and this is Impa-"

"Impa?" the fairy asked in confusion, turning towards the Sheikah guardian. "But… you don't really _look _like Impa…"

"Allow me to finish," the Sheikah warrior interjected, knowing that certainly Navi was speaking of another Sheik and another Impa. "We are not of this time, but rather from the distant future. Any semblance in either name or appearance to people you might know is purely coincidental, I assure you."

"Oh…" Navi mused, believing this as she took a closer look and saw that the two Sheikah women before her didn't really look exactly like the Sheik or Impa of her time save for a passing semblance. "Alright then… But, we could still really use the help of you and all your soldiers!"

"What's the matter?" Impa pressed, hoping that maybe the fairy knew something of the Gate of Souls or the situation on Death Mountain.

"Princess Ruto is in trouble!" Navi cried fretfully, coming to float over Sheik's hands as she held them out as something of a perch.

"Ruto, Princess of the Zoras?" the Sheikah warrior asked, knowing the Zora princess from her knowledge of this era.

"Yes!" the fairy said, her wings beating together anxiously. "She was abducted by the Gorons!"

"Well, that explains what that Malon girl was talking about when she said there was trouble about up here…" Impa mused to herself before Navi went on.

"I don't understand it," the fairy said with a sad sigh. "Their leader Darunia used to be such a kind, gentle soul… But ever since that Zelda woman showed up, he hasn't been the same since!"

"Zelda?" Impa cut in, her eyes growing wide upon hearing this. "Princess Zelda has been here?!"

"Princess Zelda?" Navi asked. "Oh no, no! She can't be the princess! She doesn't look anything like our princess and besides, Zelda's been missing for the past seven years, ever since Ganondorf took over!"

"Then it _must _be the Zelda of our time!" the Sheikah guardian exclaimed, immediately jumping on this lead as it was the first real one she had gotten in quite some time.

"Let us go and see with our own eyes, then," Sheik said calmly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions so soon.

"Well, come on, then!" Navi exclaimed brightly, gliding up above the troops once more to lead the way. "The Gorons' stronghold is right through this gate!"

And indeed, the fairy's word was not wrong. The gate standing right before the halted troops did indeed lead to the portion of Death Mountain where the Gorons were gathered, and even upon a first glance, it was easy to tell that the Hylian troops were vastly outnumbered. The sheer amount of Gorons storming the mountain was staggering, their count well on up into the hundreds, if not thousands as they lined the entire mountain, clearly ready to defend their territory from intruders.

Of course, Sheik, Impa, and their troops wasted no time upon arriving to this portion of the mountain. They quickly made the nearest empty keep their base, before they could even be spotted by a single Goron. And, as soon as everyone was prepared to set off, the troops began to march out after Navi informed the Sheikah women that Darunia was most likely stationed at his chamber near the peak, and that Ruto was most likely held hostage there as well.

"I'm concerned about our primary mission," Sheik mused as her and Impa watched the soldiers move out an begin to engage the unsuspecting Gorons. "But first we must rescue Princess Ruto."

"And hopefully we'll find Princess Zelda while we're at it," the Sheikah guardian muttered to herself with determination, resolved to get to the bottom of the situation.

With their mission cut out for them, both Sheikah women took off out of the allied base, their weapons at the ready to fight. It was about this time that the Gorons noticed the invading forces within their domain, and they were quick to charge in defense of their home.

"Stop!" one of the Goron captains called out angrily. "No one can pass through here under the order of Big Brother Darunia!"

"Wait!" Sheik called out as her and Impa came face to face with a line of Goron warriors. "We don't want to fight! We only came to-"

None of the Gorons responded as they all simply continued to rush at the Hylian soldiers, using their strong physical strength to oppose the soldiers' weapons. "They don't look like they're willing to talk…" Impa said with a scowl, already prepared to put her giant blade to use if it meant finding Zelda at long last. "I guess we'll just have to force our way by then…"

Deciding that this was the only way, both Sheikah women began to work their way up the mountain through its western path, cutting through the Goron forces the best they could. Unfortunately, the mountain-dwelling people were strong and durable, their firm, almost-rocklike skin hard to damage easily, but at the same time, the Hylian troops weren't really seeking to harm the Gorons, who seemed to be both angered and confused more than anything else, though for what reason, no one knew.

Not too long after Sheik and Impa had set out, however, a sudden rumbling filled the mountain, one that climaxed with a loud crash coming from the direction of the allied base itself. "What was that?" the Sheikah guardian demanded, looking down from her spot to see a second boulder that had come from a spot just a bit to the north of the Sheikah women crash into their allied base, sustaining some sizable damage.

"They're attacking our base!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed, gripping her harp tighter than ever. "We have to stop those falling rocks. From the look of it, they seem to be coming from that keep to the north. Perhaps capturing it would be a good start."

"Then I'll go do that," Impa said, placing her discrepancies for Sheik aside for now as they were in the heat of battle. "You go make sure our base doesn't fall. If it does, then it's all over."

The Sheikah warrior nodded as she took off for the allied base, using her magical melodies to rip through the perusing crowds of Gorons all the while as the Sheikah guardian headed for the nearest boulder keep.

"It's strange…" Sheik mused to Navi, who accompanied her she cut through the enemy forces. "I always thought the Gorons were a gentle people… Who knew they could be capable of such violence…?"

"It's Darunia, their chief…" the fairy said, her wings drooping a bit. "He was always so kind and friendly! But ever since meeting Zelda… he's like a totally different Goron!"

"So, he really has met with Princess Zelda…" Impa said to herself, having barely overheard the conversation amidst the din of war as she got further away from both Sheik and Navi and closer to her destination. "But even so, why would that force such a negative change in him?" The Sheikah guardian shook her head as she fought on, knowing that the princess certainly couldn't be the cause of such trouble. Could she?

All the same though, Impa was quick to clear out the west bolder keep, using both her heavy blade and her water magic to cut a swath through the Gorons protecting it and securing it for the Hylian troops. The flow of boulders speeding towards the allied base came to an end, and before it could start again, the Sheikah warrior was quick to make sure that her troops went out and gained an advantage over their foes by capturing the eastern boulder keep before the Gorons could even have a chance to.

As soon as it was sure that the allied base was secure for the moment, Sheik set out from it with Navi in tow, heading up the eastern path to rendezvous with Impa. The cluster of Goron warriors was as thick and relentless as ever, and of course, none of them were willing to listen to reason, but the Sheikah warrior couldn't help but wonder why as she fought them. Certainly, this sudden change in temperament couldn't be coincidental. Navi had said that Princess Zelda had brought this change about, but how? The princess of Hyrule was a benevolent soul, and she certainly wouldn't try to stir up such discord and chaos that the Gorons seemed to be under now. A different entity certainly must have been at work, one with wicked intentions if they wanted to pit the Gorons and the Zoras against one another in such a way.

While Sheik found herself caught up in one of the eastern keeps preoccupied by the enemy forces, Impa continued to tear through the Goron troops, finding them to be strong, but easy to take down with enough force. Of course, along the way, she did have to end a few of them, and she certainly did feel guilty for it, but this was war, and in the grand scheme of things, the general of the Hylian army knew that individual lives did not matter on the battlefield.

However, as both Sheikah women continued to fight tirelessly in their attempt to get up the mountain, they did not know that the Goron patriarch himself was watching their ascent from the peak, and was more than prepared to put an end to it. And as if to signify this, the voice of the proud leader of the Gorons himself rumbled strong and fierce across the entire mountain so that all the invaders could hear. "Who dares attack the noble Gorons?!" Darunia bellowed loudly, his rage quite clear in his tone. "Whoever you are, prepare to battle a Goron Chieftain and fall!"

Both Sheikahs had heard him loud and clear and both were quick to head towards the northern most point of the mountain that they could get to without it being blocked off. The Gorons lining the way were plentiful for both of them, but soon enough they both finally reunited, knowing that soon the Goron chieftain himself would join them.

"So," Sheik said to Impa a bit breathlessly from fighting as they joined up. "Darunia has appeared? Very well. We must stop his rampage then."

"For once I agree with you," the Sheikah guardian said as she lashed her blade out at an attacking Goron. "We need to calm him down so we can get some answers about what's going on around here. And the only way to do that is to knock him out!"

"Be careful!" Navi cautioned as she fluttered nearby. "Darunia's not acting like his usual self! He could be very dangerous!"

Right as the fairy finished her warning, the Goron patriarch himself finally arrived, rolling down from the summit and landing only a few feet away from the Sheikah women. Like his Goron brothers, Darunia was of a sizable girth, his form sturdy and rock-like, though he had more of the look of a chief about him, as he was larger and generally sterner in his appearance and features. He came into the battle wielding a large, heavy metal hammer marked with the Goron symbol, though he lifted it as though it weighed nothing at all, a testament to his well-known and respected strength. All of the nearby Gorons were quick to show their reverence to their patriarch by clearing out of the way for him to slowly approach the two leaders of their opposition, his footsteps rumbling on the earthen ground as he swung his hammer over his shoulder casually.

"So, you guys are the ones who invaded my mountain and are attacking my brothers?" Darunia asked, scowling angrily at the Sheikahs.

"Darunia, please," Impa began tactfully, hoping to put a stop to this battle before it could get even more out of hand. "We do not wish to harm you or your people. I ask of your to all off your troops and end this before anyone gets hurt."

"Oh, I'm gonna end it alright," the Goron chieftain said with an uncharacteristically dark grin as he heaved his hammer into both hands. He said nothing more as he swung his weapon out towards his foes, striking several Hylian soldiers immediately with devastating force.

"Watch out!" Navi warned, recognizing the weapon that Darunia was wielding as he continued to advance on Sheik and Impa, who had taken up the defensive for now. "That's the Megaton Hammer! It's an ancient Goron artifact that can really do a lot of damage it you let it!"

"Them I suppose we'll have to stay clear of it," Sheik mused as she began to strum the Song of Storms on her harp, allowing a swirl of electricity to surround her. Thankfully both Sheikah women had the advantage of speed on their side as they moved faster than Darunia ever could, both of them circling him before the Sheikah guardian moved in and allowed the electricity around her to touch the Goron patriarch, eliciting a grunt of pain from him as he was briefly stunned by it. This opening allowed Impa to slice her blade across his back, which while as thick and durable as a rock itself, did not give Darunia complete and totally protection. He stumbled forward clumsily, allowing Sheik to meet him with a pair of her kunais, which she aimed squarely for his open stomach. Since his skin there was not as thick as the skin of his back, the Goron chieftain let out a sharp cry as he felt the pain of the small knives being torn across his heavy midsection, drawing blood. In angry retaliation, Darunia swung his hammer broadly at the Sheikah warrior, who deftly and gracefully leaped over it just in time to avoid being hit with it. The Goron patriarch let out an infuriated shout upon missing his target, which intensified as a hail of water arrows, courtesy of the Sheikah guardian came raining down upon him, finally knocking him to the ground by the sheer force and clearly injuring him to the point of momentary submission.

"Now are you ready to talk?" Sheik asked, still standing apace from Darunia with her guard up, just as Impa was.

"Ugh… not bad…" the Goron patriarch groaned in clear pain as he struggled to pick himself up off the rocky ground. "I'll guess I'll have to withdraw for now, but only so I can strike back twice as hard!" With a hefty shout, Darunia curled up once more and rolled off faster than either Sheikah could have expected, darting up to the summit before either of them could even follow after him.

"Drat, he got away!" Impa growled as she sheathed her blade, seeing that the nearby area had apparently cleared out of Gorons in wake of their leader's defeat.

"Next time we face him, we will certainly subdue him once and for all," Sheik said with resolve, placing her harp aside to take a much needed breather as well.

A beat of silence passed between the two Sheikahs as the Sheikah guardian turned to look at the Sheikah warrior, giving her an unreadable look. In facing the Goron patriarch, the two of them had fought so seamlessly together, in a way that reminded Impa quite a bit of how her and Zelda often worked together in battle. And while the Sheikah guardian was still hesitant in giving her full trust to the suspicious, mysterious Sheikah warrior, Impa knew that if the two of them were to get through this battle alive and victorious, she would have to place her distrust of Sheik aside, even if it was only for a while.

"Perhaps I might have been wrong about you, Sheik," the Sheikah guardian admitted, though her tone was as unrelenting as ever. "Maybe your heart's not really in the wrong place like I thought."

Though Impa couldn't see the slight smile that crossed Sheik's hidden lips, she could hear it well enough in her voice. "Thank you, Impa," she said with a grateful nod. "I hope this means that we can put these harsh feelings and words aside and work together."

"For now, I suppose we can," the Sheikah guardian agreed astutely. "But first things first. We need to figure out how to-"

Before Impa could even finish, she was interrupted by the sound Darunia's triumphant shout echoing throughout the mountain. "YES!" he cheered loudly. "I'm back to full fighting strength! Brothers, we're marching out again!"

"What?!" Impa exclaimed in disbelief, but it certainly appeared to be true as the Goron chieftain began to roll down the mountain once more, this time with the intent of capturing the allied base to drive out the intruders once and for all. "But, that's impossible! We just defeated him only a moment ago!"

"He looks like he hasn't a scratch on him…" Sheik mused as the two of them stood a ways down from Darunia's current position as he made easy work of several Hylian soldiers using his heavy hammer. "Will there be no end to this battle?"

"I wonder how he's replenishing his health…" the Sheikah guardian pondered thoughtfully, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Is his base hiding some secret?"

"That's it!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed, a sudden idea coming to her. "Allow me to try something. First, I need to get to the nearest boulder keep."

"Go on ahead then," Impa said, motioning to the eastern boulder keep, which was only a few feet away from them. She wasn't sure what Sheik's plan was, but she could only hope that it would work, otherwise this struggle would go on forever. However, the Sheikah warrior was quick to set her idea into motion as she asked the engineer staffed within the boulder keep to prepare the mechanism for something, though the Sheikah guardian still didn't know what.

"Darunia appears to be heading towards our base," Sheik said to Impa as they watched the soldiers prepare. "If we leave him to his to his own devices, he's bound to cause us even more trouble. Hold him off while we get this working."

"But what do you plan on doing?" the Sheikah guardian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Something that will hopefully turn the tide of this battle in our favor," the Sheikah warrior said as vaguely as ever, but this time Impa decided to accept it. After all, any plan was better than the aimless struggle they were putting up now.

Without any other questions, the Sheikah guardian rushed off towards the lower half of the mountain, knowing that the Goron patriarch was approaching their base too quickly for comfort along with a legion of his brothers. Any Hylian soldier that attempted to get in their way was quickly knocked aside by Darunia's hammer, and Impa knew that if this did not end soon, then she would not have an army left to find the Gate of Souls at all.

"Brothers!" Darunia roared as he continued his march upon the allied base, which was now in his sights and simply lying in wait to be conquered. "Take their base! Show them the strength of the Goron tribe!"

The Goron warriors cheered in response to their leader's encouraging words, clearly showing increased morale as they rolled towards the allied base from all directions, flooding it quickly with their heavy numbers. With a pleased grin, Darunia prepared to join in on their assault, before he was met with a heavy blow from behind. Impa swiftly clicked her blade back into its sheath as she dashed around the Goron leader, standing between him and the allied base as she prepared to defend it until the end.

"You again, huh?" Darunia growled angrily, prepared to fight as well. "You must be looking for a beating!"

"Leave our base alone!" Impa retorted unrelentingly, knowing that her men were certainly fighting off the Gorons the best they could, though certainly they wouldn't be able to keep it up forever.

"Not until its claimed for the Goron tribe!" the chieftain shouted as he began his first attack, fire surrounding his hammer this time as he swung it for her. The Sheikah guardian narrowly dodged it as she summoned a watery orb with the hopes of repelling him, though he did well to use his sturdy metal weapon to protect himself from it. A series of strikes, counterstrikes, and defenses went on between the two for quite some time, Darunia using his brute strength and heavy hammer pitted against Impa's smooth speed and quick wit. However, unlike the clearly agitated Goron patriarch, the Sheikah guardian was able to keep her cool as she fought, something that she had always been good at, and in time, she managed to wear her opponent down to the point of exhaustion more than anything else, as she still didn't really want to hurt him.

With a sigh of fatigue, Darunia let the head of his hammer fall to the earthy ground for a moment as he stopped to catch his breath, though Impa patiently waited for his next strike as she kept her defense up all the while. "I've gotta fall back for a minute…" the Goron patriarch muttered to himself in exasperation, before he sent another harsh glare to the Sheikah guardian. "This isn't over yet!" he growled before he curled up and rolled off once more, a support team of his fellow Gorons quickly following him up the mountain as he retreated to the chief's room, thinning out those who were attacking the allied base.

Sheik happened to catch notice of Darunia speeding towards his own base as she stood within the boulder keep and she subtly grinned to herself, knowing that he was about to receive an unpleasant surprise. "We're ready," the Sheikah warrior said to the engineer, who had the boulder mechanism all prepped. "My plan begins… now!"

On her word, the engineer nodded and switched the mechanism's lever, allowing a boulder to release from the keep. However, unlike the previous ones that rolled down the mountain and towards the allied base, this one had been set on a different path instead. As opposed to going down, it was propelled upwards and into the dwelling of the Gorons themselves, Goron city. The boulder bounded up into the city at a frightening speed, and any Goron standing in its path cleared out of it, for there was little they could do as it crashed first into the stone monument that stood in the center of the city, which contained their supply of rocks meant for eating, and then shattering as it reached the closed door of the chief's room itself.

An uproar of confusion and panic arose amongst the Gorons when they heard the deafening crash coming from near their base, but Darunia was the one who was clearly most distraught as he arrived back at the city, only to find that the secret to his repeated revitalization was no more. "No!" the Goron patriarch cried out in both fury and sudden fear. "The premium rock sirloin I had hidden here! It's gone!" Darunia's hands curled up into angry fists as he stomped his foot, the sound of it thundering throughout the cave. The rock sirloin, a rare delicacy of the Gorons, had been his key to his success, as it was a rare kind of stone that held special healing properties. But without it, there would be no full comebacks against his foes as there had been before. The Goron patriarch would have to face his enemies in a fair fight this time. "Gah! You!" he shouted to the Sheikahs and their army in a blind rage, his voice sounding out across the mountain once more. "You destroyed my rock sirloin! I won't forgive you for this! Gorons, move out!"

In response to the command from their patriarch, the remaining Gorons holed up near the enemy base set a course for the bottom of the mountain in order to capture the allied base once and for all. However, Impa was quick to plow through the hordes on her way back of to the boulder keep, where Sheik was preparing to set off from herself.

"So that was your plan?" the Sheikah guardian inquired as she joined the Sheikah warrior. "To eliminate his source of strength?"

"In a way…" Sheik said mysteriously, being quite humble of her success.

Impa couldn't help but crack a smirk, knowing that this plan had indeed been ingenious, but her pride kept her from outright admitting it at the moment. "Well, it looks like Darunia won't be able to regain stamina anymore," the Sheikah guardian concluded. "It's time to take him down!"

The Sheikah warrior simply nodded in agreement as both of them set up, cutting down any Goron in their path as they headed up into Goron City itself, which was lined with the rock-solid warriors. And it was clear from how aggressive they seemed to be that they intended to do whatever it took to defend their leader.

"This is absolute chaos!" Impa growled as she cut through all of the Gorons surrounding her, knocking them all out as she tried to avoid being pelted by the rocks they were throwing, a rather futile effort. "The Gorons from our time would never act in such an outrageous way!"

"I feel as if the sorceress is behind this…" Sheik mused calmly as she used the Serenade of Water to plow through the enemies in her way. "Could her allies be controlling the Gorons?"

"Whatever the case may be, we need to put a stop to it," the Sheikah guardian said firmly as her and the Sheikah warrior finally cleared a path into the chief's room, where Darunia himself stood in wait, having recovered from his earlier fatigue and ready to make his last stand.

"Darunia!" Impa shouted, her hand on the hilt of her blade as her and Sheik squared off against the Goron leader alone. "This is your last chance. Stand down and surrender, or we will be forced to take you down!"

"Hah!" Darunia merely chuckled darkly with a hateful smirk that definitely wasn't like him. "Like two Sheikahs can stand up to the might of the leader of the Goron tribe himself!"

"Darunia, please," Sheik said calmly, trying to reason with him one last time before things got out of hand. "You are not acting like yourself. You must calm down and see the error of your ways before you-"

"Why should I listen to you two?!" the Goron patriarch asked harshly, gripping his hammer tightly. "You come to _my _mountain and threaten _my _brothers, and then you expect me to surrender? Never! A good Goron never backs down from a fight!"

The Sheikah women exchanged a brief glance before nodding, knowing that no matter what they tried, Darunia simply would not listen to him. The only way to put an end to this madness was to subdue him and break whatever influence the princess apparently seemed to have had on him.

The confrontation quickly turned into a battle as Impa was the first to lash out, deftly swinging her blade until it struck the Goron leader's protected back. Sheik was quick to make her first move as well, preforming the Nocturne of Shadow in order to surround Darunia with a cloud of damaging darkness, blinding him as the Sheikah guardian went in for her next watery strike. Impa quickly summoned a blade that locked much like her own, only it was made of ice and hit the Goron patriarch hard, completely dousing him. However, Darunia wasn't about to be taken down so easily this time. With a powerful shout, he lifted his hammer high and brought it down hard, causing the ground within the keep to rumble to the point that neither Sheikah were barely able to keep their footing. The Goron patriarch took advantage of this unstable footing as he took aim for Impa, knowing well that her blade could greatly damage him. The Sheikah guardian did see his attack coming, but she was too slow to stop it as his hammer collided with her side roughly, sending her flying into the nearest wall of the keep.

Sheik let out a sharp gasp when she heard Impa's cry of pain and noticed that the Sheikah guardian was unable to easily pick herself up off the ground. However, Darunia clearly had no intentions of giving either one of them a break as he moved to attack Sheik next. The Sheikah warrior's eyes widened as she knew that the Goron leader was a strong foe, one that she certainly wouldn't be able to take down without Impa's aid. And so, in a bit of a panic, Sheik quickly threw down a Deku nut, vanishing on the breath of its explosion and reappearing briefly at the injured Sheikah guardian's side before Darunia, who was quite confused at this, could even see what was happening. And, upon throwing down another seed, both Sheikahs vanished out of the keep entirely, reappearing in another part of Goron City entirely, a small, somewhat dark tunnel that was fortunately abandoned.

"Impa?" Sheik worriedly asked the Sheikah guardian, who had begun to bleed from the mouth from the heavy blow she had received as she lay on the ground, completely crippled from the blow. "Are you alright? Can you get up?"

Impa let out a groan of pain as she slowly reached a ginger hand to her side, which was bruised and bloodied quite badly from the hit. "I… I can't…" she muttered as she closed her eyes and cringed. "C-curses! We… we need t-to get… back i-in there and f-fight…"

"You can't in that condition," the Sheikah warrior said as she knelt down beside her ally, her voice radiating sincere concern. "We need to get you some help, but we-" Sheik suddenly cut herself off short as she began to hear a soft sound, something of a light melody, flowing from the deeper parts of the tunnel they were in. Where it was coming from, or what rather, she wasn't exactly sure, but her curiosity and worry for the Sheikah guardian compelled her to find out. "Do you hear that?" she asked Impa, who merely gave her a look of confusion amidst her agony.

"H-hear what?" the Sheikah guardian asked coldly, fighting against unconsciousness though it was quickly trying to take her.

Not bothering to answer, Sheik stood and turned towards the depths of the blackened tunnel, hoping that perhaps on the other end there was someone who would be willing to lend them some aid. "I'm going to get some help," she said to the injured Sheikah guardian, who merely looked at her in complete disbelief.

"N-no," Impa said firmly, forcing herself to sit up even though it brought her unbelievable amounts of pain. "Someone… n-needs to take… Darunina d-down…"

"And we will," the Sheikah warrior reassured her, positioning her harp. "After you are well. And so for now let me go. Please, Impa. You need to trust me on this. I promise on my life that I will not fail you."

The Sheikah guardian gave her a look, somewhat cold look, putting her pain aside for a moment to think this through. Impa knew well that she was severely injured and would not be able to fight unless she was properly healed, but at the same time, to put her life in Sheik's hands, of all people? It would certainly be a risk, one that the Sheikah guardian was not all too keen on taking, especially at a moment like this. But at the same time, she knew that she didn't have any other options. It was either let the Sheikah warrior go on ahead and do whatever she planned on doing, or wait for Darunia to find them and strike them both down.

"Alright," Impa relented, though she refused to say anything that would make Sheik believe that she actually trusted her. "G-go on ahead… B-but hurry…"

"I will," the Sheikah warrior nodded with sincerity before turning to Navi, who still flittered nearby just as she had been throughout the entire battle. "Can you please say here with her? Just in case?"

"Sure thing!" the fairy said brightly, gliding down to the Sheikah guardian's side.

"Now, before I go…" Sheik began, though she trailed off as she began to strum the Song of Healing upon her harp once more, its healing magic starting to work on Impa's wounds, though the Sheikah warrior knew it would be gradual, and of course would not do all of the work. The Sheikah guardian merely nodded her slim gratitude as she laid back down and rested for the moment, knowing it was all she could do as Sheik headed off into the unknown.

The tunnel was dark and eerie to be sure, but as the Sheikah warrior headed through it, she found that the tune she had heard before only grew louder and clearer. It was a bright, cheerful song, and its blithe sound appeared to be coming from what sounded like a wind instrument. And, as Sheik finally made it to the light at the end of the path, she was finally able to see where it was coming from.

Instead of the high, craggy peaks of Death Mountain, Sheik now found herself within a deep, dense forest, lush trees towering all above her as the tiny sparkling forms of fairies flittered all over. She could immediately tell that this was a sacred, hidden place, but upon taking a closer look around, she found that she was not alone here. For as she ventured a bit deeper into the woods, guided by the song still wafting through the trees all the while, she came across a clearing where a tall, though blocked off structure rested. Below the high entrance to this place was a short tree stump, and upon this stump sat a young girl, contentedly playing an ocarina as a group of small woodland animals gathered around her to hear her play. She couldn't have been much older than ten or so, her short hair just as green as the simple clothes she worse as she created the upbeat song humming through the trees, her eyes shut as she was completely engrossed in her music. The girl didn't even notice the Sheikah warrior's approach until Sheik finally spoke up, almost afraid to break through the cheerful melody, though she knew that time was of the essence for Impa's sake.

"Excuse me?" the Sheikah warrior cut in, interrupting the girl's song and clearly startling her.

"What?!" the girl exclaimed, her blue eyes flying open as she stared up at Sheik in absolute surprise. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry. I really wasn't expecting anyone to come out here… Well… I was, but… I wasn't really expecting a Sheikah to show up here in the Lost Woods of all places!"

Sheik couldn't help but smile a bit under her face coverings. "My name is Sheik," she introduced herself, hesitating to get to the matter at hand as she wondered how this girl would be able to help in their predicament.

"I'm Saria," the girl said with a warm smile. "Um… I'm just a little curious though… How did you find me here? Not many are able to find their way through the Lost Woods so easily…"

"Your song led me here," the Sheikah warrior said. "I could hear it coming in through the tunnel near her that connects to Goron City."

"Oh yeah! I heard about that tunnel, but I've never been through it myself," Saria said with a nod. "I've always wanted to go there though. I heard that Mr. Darunia, the Goron leader, really loves my song!"

"What?!" Sheik exclaimed, her eyes widening at this news. A sudden idea came to her upon hearing this, one that she immediately planned on putting into motion to end the conflict on Death Mountain once and for all. "You wouldn't happen to mind coming with me and playing it for him then, would you? Death Mountain is in absolute chaos, and me and my friend need Darunia to calm down in order to stop it. And… I think that your song might be just the thing we need…"

"Really?" Saria said with a concerned frown. "Well, if that's the case, then of course! I'll gladly come and help! After all, we sages have to stick together!"

"You're a sage?" the Sheikah warrior asked the girl in disbelief as she stood, grabbing both her ocarina and a long staff that had been lying on the ground behind her, a weapon that utilized the power of the forest known as the Deku Rod.

"Well, of course!" Saria said with a cheerful grin as she began to lead the way back to the tunnel. "I'm the sage of forest, and Mr. Darunia's the sage of fire! Which is why I don't understand what could be making him act so violently… He's always been so nice!"

"My companion Impa believes that it may have to do with Princess Zelda…" Sheik muttered, though Saria overheard her nonetheless.

"Wait…" the girl said with a frown as they arrived back at the tunnel. "Impa, the sage of shadow? And Princess Zelda?"

"Oh, no," the Sheikah warrior said, shaking her head as she remembered that she was in a different time. "You see, I am not from this time, and neither is the Impa or the Zelda I spoke of. We've actually come from the future, and we're hunting for the Gate of Souls. You wouldn't happen to have heard of it, would you?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't…" Saria said apologetically. "But… once all this mess with the Gorons is over, I could help you look for it!"

Sheik once again smiled to herself, glad that even in the midst of everything that was going wrong, she had happened to find a new ally all the same. And soon enough, both of them soon made it back to Goron City, where Impa, surprisingly enough, had seemed to recover enough that she was back on her feet.

"Impa?!" the Sheikah warrior exclaimed in disbelief as she hurried to the Sheikah guardian, who was impatiently waiting for her. "H-how… how did you-"

"It was that milk that Malon gave us!" Navi cut in before Impa could say anything. "That stuff really does wonders!"

"Yes," Impa nodded in agreement. "But I'm still pretty sore. Which is why I hope that this 'help' you brought will actually be of good use…" The Sheikah guardian raised an unimpressed eyebrow as she glanced down at the young Kokiri girl, who simply smiled confidently back up at her.

"Hi!" Saria greeted kindly. "I'm Saria, and… I think I know a song that might just be able to help."

"A song?" Impa asked a bit harshly, glaring at Sheik more than Saria. "That's what your big trump card is? A measly song?!"

"I believe that it will work," the Sheikah guardian said astutely, ignoring the fact that the Sheikah guardian merely continued to glare at her.

"Fine," Impa said with a sigh of exasperation. "We're out of options at this point, so here's hoping that it works. Let's go."

The trio was quick to race back towards the chief's room, where Darunia appeared to be impatiently waiting for someone to battle. "Oh, so you're back, huh?" the Goron leader said snidely as he heaved his hammer up once more. "Good! I'm ready to finish what I started!"

Sheik, Impa, nor Saria did not make a single move to draw their weapons against Darunia this time, but instead, as the Goron patriarch charged for all three of them, the Kokiri girl simply stepped forward, poising her ocarina to play. "Mr. Darunia, wait!" Saria called out as she quickly up the wind instrument to her lips and began to play her lighthearted song. The bouncy melody immediately stopped the Goron leader in his tracks as he merely listened to it, his expression unreadable for the longest time, though his hammer was still poised to strike all three of them down. The tune wafted throughout the entire mountain, cutting through the keeps and reaching the ears of nearly every Goron as they all halted their attacks against the Hylian soldiers and simply listened, as if the melody had somehow put them into a trance.

Unsure of when to stop, Saria continued to play the song, her eyes shut as she was confident that Darunia would not attack her. Impa and Sheik simply watched on in awe, though they were completely ready to defend the young girl from the Goron leader should this plan fall through. And yet, it didn't. Instead, something completely unexpected happened.

Darunia began to dance.

The two Sheikahs backed away a bit cautiously and warily upon seeing the Goron patriarch drop his hammer and instead begin to flail his arms and legs about wildly to the music, somehow keeping in time with it even though his movements with unlike anything they had ever seen before. His eyes were shut and for the first time in a while, he smiled widely, and soon enough that smile turned into a cheerful laugh. Saria watched on with happy eyes as she continued to play her song, knowing that it was working just as she had intended it too.

"Yeah!" Darunia cheered as his dance began to wind down several moments later. "What a hot beat!" The Goron patriarch eventually tired out however as he completed his dance and opened his eyes, grinning down at the Kokiri girl warmly. "What a nice tune! You know how much I love that song, Saria!"

"Works every time, Mr. Darunia," Saria said with a casual shrug, having finally finished playing.

"Oh, but, man…." Darunia said, placing a hand on his head as she shook it as if to clear it, apparently having finally broken free from whatever spell the "princess" had cast upon him and his people. "What's even going on around here? One minute we were—Oh, yeah! It was that Zelda lady! She came here and caused all sorts of trouble!" With an apologetic frown, the Goron leader looked to the two Sheikah women, who were admittedly amused after seeing him dance so festively. "I didn't realize what we were doing! Please, forgive us. All of us. Someone was twisting our minds!"

"We understand," Impa said with a cordial smile. "I am just relieved that we did not have to hurt you."

"I suppose that we owe it all to Saria and her song after all…" Sheik said with the slightest hint of sarcasm in her tone as she glanced at the Sheikah guardian, who merely rolled her eyes in response.

"Yeah!" Darunia said with a huge grin as he scooped the Kokiri girl up and placed her on his sturdy shoulders while Saria merely giggled all the while. "Thanks a ton, little sister!"

"Sure thing, Mr. Darunia," the girl said with a warm smile.

"Now, would you kindly mind releasing Princess Ruto?" Sheik interjected, remembering that they had come to save the Zora princess in the first place.

"What?!" Saria exclaimed as she looked down at Darunia with a frown. "You captured Ruto too?"

The Goron leader glanced down guiltily, truly feeling ashamed for all of the trouble that him and his people had unintentionally caused. "Yeah…" he admitted sheepishly. "But don't worry! We'll let her go right now! Fellas! Open the chamber up and let Sister Ruto out!"

The nearest group of Gorons who had gathered in the chief's room in response to their leader and themselves being freed immediately complied, pushing aside the large statue that stood directly behind Darunia, apparently blocking off some sort of enclosure. "Man, I feel really terrible for everything we've been doing…" the Goron leader said with regret in his tone. "I hope we can make it up to you guys for saving us though! Anything you want, it's yours!"

"Have you heard of something called the Gate of Souls?" Sheik asked, knowing that now they could get onto their sole mission now that this trouble was over.

"Wait," Impa cut in, her expression determined and solemn. "First things first. You said someone named Zelda came here and began all of this chaos? Do you know where she is now?"

"I know!" a new voice cut in before Darunia could properly answer. Everyone turned to face the newly freed Zora princess as she emerged from her former prison, clearly out of sorts and angry. Ruto had a more regal look about her than most Zoras did, her light blue scales shimmering all over her graceful, curvaceous body. Her fins hung down from her arms and from her wrist was an elegant scale treasured by the aquatic people known as the Zora scale, which granted its wearer even more water-based abilities than usual Zoras possessed.

"Well, that was a terrible experience!" Ruto proclaimed as she sauntered over to the group, her purple eyes burning with a bitter glare aimed for the Goron leader. "Darunia, honestly! I can't believe you! I come here on matters of diplomacy and this is how I am to be treated! To be captured and imprisoned as if I am nothing more than a common whelp! I'll have you know, in case you forgot, that I am Ruto, princess of the Zoras, and I shall be treated with nothing less than the upmost respect that is due to me!"

"Sister Ruto, I'm really sorry!" Darunia said with complete sincerity. "Me and my brothers… We didn't know what we were doing!"

"Well, I'll say you didn't," the Zora princess said crossly as she crossed her arms. "But… I suppose I could find it in my heart to forgive you… After all, it wasn't really your fault…"

The Goron leader smiled in relief upon hearing this, glad that they had been able to reconcile so easily despite what he had done. At this point however, the Zora princess glanced up to see the Kokiri girl still sitting upon the Goron patriarch's shoulders, giggling at the entire scene. "Oh, Saria, darling!" Ruto exclaimed with a bright smile. "Is that you? I didn't expect to see you up here on this… ugh… disgusting mountain as well!"

"Hi, Ruto," Saria said, giving the sage of water a smile and a wave in greeting.

"Wait," Impa interrupted the reunion once more as she turned to the Zora princess. "You said that you know where Zelda is?"

"That witch of a woman calls herself Zelda?" Ruto asked in disbelief. "She insults the princess's very name then! She showed up here as I was meeting with Darunia and made him and all the Gorons go crazy! But, before they took me hostage, I did manage to overhear her say something about where she was going…"

"Where?!" the Sheikah guardian pressed, hoping that, even if Zelda's actions certainly sounded strange, perhaps she was getting close to finding her after all.

The Zora princess didn't answer as she walked past the group and began to head out of the keep, but not before turning back to them and giving them a coy smile. "I'll explain, but first, get me off this filthy mountain!" she said as she made a disgusted expression. "It will take days, no, _week _in the water to get all of this dirt off of me!" Ruto continued to rant and rave as she led the way down the mountain, with both Darunia and Saria following not too far behind. Sheik also began to move forward, but she was soon stopped by Impa placing a hand upon her shoulder.

"Wait," the Sheikah guardian said, her expression not as cold as it usually was. She knew that what she was about to say would not be easy to get out, but in light of everything that had happened, it needed to be said nonetheless. "I… I just wanted to tell you that… well… you really came through for us…" she said, referring to her plan to ask for Saria's aid. "That was some clever thinking there and I don't know what we would have done without it… So… thank you…"

Unlike what Impa had been expecting, Sheik surprisingly didn't goad over the fact that she had been right, but simply nodded in acceptance, once again hiding her warm smile behind her mask. "You're welcome," she said smoothly and simply as she began to continue on her way once more.

"Hold on," Impa said, once again stopping her. "There's… one more thing… I feel like I should… apologize for how I acted earlier… My paranoia and stress was getting to me and I assumed things about you that were not true. Forgive me."

The Sheikah warrior simply nodded once more, knowing that the Sheikah guardian truly meant it. "I do forgive you, Impa," she said reassuringly, knowing that cooperation between the two of them would come so much easily now that they had reconciled. "And you needn't worry about finding the princess. After all, it is as I said before. We're both seeking the same thing: the truth."

* * *

**Wooo! Well this chapter certainly took a little steam outta me, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't fun to write (especially Ruto at the end, I can already tell I'm going to have a fun time with her!) So, what did you guys think of Malon and Saria's little cameos? Before anyone gets their panties in a twist, allow me to say that Saria leaving the forest (despite being a Kokiri) comes as a result of the game not being canon and therefore I plan on breaking canon with her because I want her in this chapter and the next OoT one, which might also have a favorite Gerudo lady everyone's been asking me for... ;) So, next time around is Skyloft, huh? Great! I already have a ton in store for Link to have to deal with up there, like Fi, Ghirahim, and a few other fan favorites you guys requested... ;) But for now, I must be off as tomorrow evening I am to attend the Zelda symphony for the second time and fall in love with it all over again! (here's hoping they have some HW music!) so for now, I'll leave you with this question: What do you guys think of the contents of the MM pack coming out next month, which will include (for all of those who don't know) Young Link, Tingle, a Skull Kid costume for Lana, an OoT Impa costume, an OoT Sheik costume and a new adventure map!? Lemme know in your reviews! (lets see if we can breech 300 guys!) Until next time!**


	13. The Land in the Sky

_I really need to stop with these huge chapters... So yeah, the reason why this took so long was not just because its so rediculously long, bu also because writer's block, as well as the fact that I just finished another story I've been working on forever, and the fact that school is horrible. So, you know, life stuff. But anyway, since this chapter is so long, I won't say too much about it here, aside from the fact that I freaking love writing Ghirahim. Nuff said. Now for the guest reviews!_

_Cia23: I could totally see that... ;) _

_ShadowRouge: Indeed we have Groose! (as well as Pipit and Karane, most likely who you were thinking of) And yes, I can't wait for Nabooru either!_

_Arrowsheena: Oh she so is though! And yes, Skyloft is here! Hooray!_

_Guest: Thanks!_

_Anonymous: I'd like to stay in SS personally, specifically Skyloft, because who wouldn't want to fly around on giant birds all day? But if I was there, like I said, I would fly around on my Loftwing, and pretty much just chill and explore the sky, since its so pretty :D_

_MajoraSkull99: Yes, i have! I don't get what the hate is for Lana personally, and I think her Skull Kid costume is pretty cute!_

_GrayishGirl: I know what you mean... That mission could get annoying at times... :P_

_miano53: Yeah, typos typos. I'll have to fix that eventually. _

_Guest: Yes, I was at schermerhorn and it was AWESOME! I cried so much and I'm such a dork that I even did a lame girl cosplay of Link! Hahaha XD_

_Ok, with al that outta the way, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 12: The Land in the Sky_

A mummer of dissent rippled through some of the Hylian troops as their number approached the column of light that would supposedly lead them to the fabled isle in the sky. While any soldier in Hyrule's army was trained to be loyal and dedicated to their creed no matter who they served under, there were quite a few who were still questioning whether the Sheikah guardian's decision to make a relatively unexperienced recruit, who had only been given his newfound tittle because of his apparent status as the hero of legend, second in command of the entire army and the sole leader of the mission that they were deployed in now. This subtle disgruntled attitude largely came from the fact that any of the soldiers who had been assigned to fight alongside the young hero were years older than him, not to mention that before Impa had hailed him as the new hero, Link technically had been ousted from the army for insubordination, something that most of the soldiers knew from the countless rumors spread amidst their number. Among these rumors were several more unsavory, wildly untrue ones, such as the assumption that the hero had been elevated to his current status upon the princess's request in the aftermath of the two of them being intimate with each other, even though they had never met before the battle in Hyrule Field. And of course, many whispers had gone around amongst the ranks that Link was largely to blame for this war, as it was Cia's lust for him that had prompted her violent attacks on Hyrule in the first place.

And yet, even despite the largely unpopular opinion on him, the hero knew little of it himself. The soldiers who were dissatisfied with having to serve under his leadership kept their complaints mostly to themselves and let their distaste for him boil under their skin as they begrudgingly followed him, fighting alongside him, but silently refusing to give him the respect that they owed him in his position.

And so it was that Link thought little of it as he led the way to the column of light, miles above which floated the mythical floating isle known as Skyloft. The hero had heard tell before of a land sitting high above the clouds, but now as he stood below it, preparing to ascend to the heights that it sat upon, he could actually see it with his own eyes, something that was hard to believe in and of itself. And yet, after everything that had happened over the past few weeks alone, there was relatively little that Link wouldn't believe anymore.

"So," Proxi interrupted the hero's wonder as he looked up to the isle. "Are we ready, Link?"

Link didn't respond immediately as he took a glance back at the group of soldiers behind him, impatiently awaiting his command to enter into the column before them at go up to Skyloft. He finally realized that this would be his first mission without Impa to guide him, to be the one truly in charge. He was on his own now in leading out in this charge, and the hero had admittedly never been in such an authoritative position before. It was certainly a great deal of pressure for Link, who up until but a few weeks ago, had been little more than a mere recruit amidst and army of thousands, and yet now he found himself at its very head. As Impa had told him, these soldiers depended on him, and even more than that, the still-missing princess depended on him, so he was determined not to let any of them down.

"Yes," the hero said with firm resolve, undaunted by the path ahead as he stepped forward towards the glowing column. "We're ready."

The moment Link stepped into the pillar of light, he began to feel himself getting lighter until he found that his feet were no longer touching the ground at all. Even the soldiers who didn't think too fondly of the hero couldn't help but watch in awe as he began to be lifted up by the magical column of light, ascending closer to the island in the sky with each passing moment.

"W-what's going on?!"Link asked, completely startled as the troops got smaller and smaller below him.

"Its ok, Link!" Proxi giggled in amusement at his shock as she flittered alongside the confused hero. "It's just like Lana said: the column is taking you up to Skyloft!"

Link continued to stare down at the troops as they hesitantly began to follow after him into the column, before letting out a sigh and shaking his head with a sardonic grin. "Somehow, I doubt that this is going to be the weirdest thing to happen during this mission," he said jokingly, coaxing another bright laugh out of his fairy companion, one which he joined in on.

Surprisingly enough, even though Skyloft was miles above the surface, the journey up there only took a few minutes, for in what felt like no time at all, the hero found himself deposited from the column of light and onto solid ground once more. After the strange feeling of weightlessness finally wore off, Link finally took the opportunity to glance around at his new surroundings to find that not only was he in a completely new land, but a completely new era as well.

Skyloft certainly lived up to the fantastical legends often told about it. Rather than being one singular island as most scholars believed it to be, it was composed of one main, large island and several outlying smaller ones. A colorful town was nestled upon the large island, abundant with many humble, yet unique dwellings. To the south was a main square and beside it sat a stone tower that somewhat resembled a lighthouse. Near the island's center was a large tent, most likely housing some sort of market, though the wooden planks barring its entrance told that it was clearly shut down at the moment. A large lake, fed by a waterfall pouring from an islet above sparkled on its eastern side, and, perhaps its most noticeable feature was the glorious statue of a heavenly, winged woman towering high over the entire town. For the longest moment, the hero stood admiring the area, noticing how even though the air was certainly much lighter up here, it seemed somehow fresher and cleaner than the air below. And indeed, the skies above the island were a pristine shade of blue, speckled with the occasional fluffy white cloud every now and then. However, these skies were far from empty as very large birds of many different colors soared through them, something that awed all of the soldiers as they finally arrived in Skyloft after Link.

"Wow…" the hero mused in clear amazement as he took a step forward into the island. "It's incredible up here…"

"Who could have ever guessed that all those stories about a city floating in the sky were actually true, huh?" Proxi said as she flew a little bit higher to get a better view of the entire island.

"Yeah, but… where is everyone?" Link asked with a frown as he looked around to see that the town seemed to be abandoned, and even more disturbingly, even a bit ramshackle, as if a recent disaster had just struck it. "I mean, people do live up here, right?"

"Good point," the fairy said with a nod as she glided up a little higher, hoping to spot something, and sure enough, to the far northeastern corner of the island, where the ground was strangely barren and desolate, but it certainly wasn't empty. The area was littered with monsters, mainly bokoblins, rampaging wildly as they began to advance down towards the main part of the island. Meeting them in battle was a fairly sizable number of knights, clearly natives of Skyloft, barely going forth with their weapons held aloft as they prepared to protect their beset home by any means necessary.

"There's a ton of monsters to the north!" Proxi reported to Link as she got back down to his level. "It looks like whatever army this place has is trying to fight them off, but they're really outnumbered. They won't be able to get rid of them all on their own!"

The hero nodded in serious understanding, knowing right away that even though their primary mission was to find the Gate of Souls, he simply couldn't ignore the plight of this endangered city, especially if the monsters' presence here was Cia's doing. And so, he turned towards the troops behind him as they continued to look around Skyloft, not entirely sure how to address them or give them a command to move out, and so he decided to follow after how Impa spoke to them, standing as tall and firm as he could and speaking loudly and authoritatively. "The island is under attack," he informed them, his expression unyielding even though most could sense the hint of nervousness in his tone. "There are enemy forces to the north and they're attacking the people who live here. We need to go up there and help them before they-"

"Hold on a minute," one of the nearby soldiers, one who was clearly much older than Link, interrupted rather rudely. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for that Gate of Souls up here?"

"We will look for it," Link assured, still mindful of their main goal. "But we're going to help the other army first. We can't just do nothing while their home is in danger."

"But this place isn't _our _home," another soldier retorted snidely. "Why risk our lives to save some town that died out centuries ago anyway?"

The hero paused for a moment before answering this, his fists clenching at his sides in sudden anger. Upon hearing such selfish hesitance, he was quickly reminded of how he had been kicked out of the army, simply because he had been the only one who wanted to act amidst those who should have been willing to leap into battle without a second thought. However, instead of dealing with the incompliance of fellow recruits, Link found that he was surrounded by a legion of unwilling soldiers who had already passed through training, many of whom had been in the army far longer than him, who still did not want to fight as he did. Some things apparently never changed.

"Because it's the right thing to do," the hero said in clear aggravation, glaring coldly at all of them for their cowardice and selfishness. "You all can do whatever you want. I'm going to help them, even if it's without your help."

Most of the soldiers exchanged a glance upon hearing this, realizing that Link was indeed serious as he turned and began to head off towards the western side of the island, not even bothering to look back and see if any of them were following him. However, while many of the soldiers simply decided to stay back stubbornly, complaining about the hero's poor leadership skills, a few decided to march on after their second general, respecting the resolve and bravery that he was showing in preparing to face off against such a threat, even if he had to do it alone.

Proxi flittered alongside Link as they approached the makeshift set of keeps that the Skyloftian soldiers had holed themselves up in, glancing at him with concern all the while. She knew that the hero was fiercely independent, but going into a fight like this without any allies could prove to be dangerous. At the same time, the fairy could also sense that her companion was certainly agitated, something that would certainly impair his fighting skills if he let it get the better of him. "What's the matter, Link?" she asked a bit hesitantly, particularly noticing his cross expression.

"Nothing," Link answered a bit harshly, keeping his sights set straight ahead.

"Oh, come on…" Proxi said as she landed upon his armored shoulder. "I can tell that you're upset, so don't try and hide it! What's wrong?"

The hero's scowl deepened as he shook his head, finally deciding to vent his frustrations. "They're all cowards," he said quietly, though it was quite clear that he was fuming. "Nothing but selfish, stubborn cowards. I thought things would be different in the actual army, but it's the same exact attitude the recruits had. What good is even having an army if no one in it is willing to fight to protect innocent people, no matter who they are?"

The fairy frowned to herself, hesitating to tell him the theory for the real reason behind the disagreement within his ranks. Unlike Link, Proxi had heard the whispers of discontent among the soldiers, but she didn't want to let the hero know about them lest they damage his morale and make him loose confidence in himself. After all, Link was still starting out and he still had much to learn. And certainly, one of the things he needed to learn most was how to take charge in a situation exactly like this one.

"Well…" Proxi said a bit avoiding, not wanting to give the hero the truth quite yet. "At least not all of them are like that. It looks like you still have a few good men after all."

The fairy guided his gaze behind him to show the group of about fifty marching dutifully behind him, the only ones left out of a group that was originally two hundred. Link sighed in slight dissatisfaction at this, knowing that they would still be incredibly outnumbered even when combined with Skyloft's forces, but some soldiers were certainly better than none.

As the meager group made it to the first keep guarded by the Skyloftian troops, a captain from within it was quick to spot their approach as he dashed out of the keep, holding his spear in a defensive position as he stopped the hero and his soldiers. "Halt!" the captain demanded, giving the Hylian troops a suspicious glare. "Who are you and what is your business here?!"

"Don't worry," Link said reassuringly, understanding why the Skyloftian soldiers would be on edge as they were in the middle of an attack. "We don't mean you any harm. We're here to help."

"Really?" the captain said, clearly not buying it. "Just like that that witch and her dragon knight came here to 'help' before they betrayed us and made things even worse?"

"So Cia _has _been here…" Proxi commented to Link as the two of them exchanged a brief glance, before the hero spoke once more.

"I can promise you that we have _nothing _to do with them," Link said firmly. "In fact, we're trying to do everything we can to stop them."

"Well, if that's the case, then feel free to go ahead and try!" the captain said, feeling a bit more at ease upon hearing this confirmation. "We can use all the help we can get because at this rate, we're bound to loose Skyloft!"

"We won't let that happen," the hero said confidently, drawing his sword in preparation to fight. "Do you know who's in charge of these monsters now?"

"Well, the witch is gone, but the dragon knight's still here," the captain informed. "Their base is to the north, but we-"

"Hey!" a sudden shout broke through the conversation, apparently coming from the northern side of the keep. The Skyloftian captain, as well as the hero and the Hylian troops all turned to see what the commotion apparently was, which turned out to be three youths, all around the same age as Link, who had emerged from the rush of the battle and into the keep. The one who had called out was a young man of a strong, burly build with copper eyes and fiery red hair proudly groomed up into a high pompadour. In his hand he held an unlit bomb and it was clear from the tears and dirt on his clothes, which clearly showed that he was not one of the armored soldiers, that he had just come from the midst of the fray itself, as well as his somewhat winded expression. The other young man of the trio was clad in a uniform vaguely similar to the hero's, cap, tunic, and all, save for the fact that it was a golden yellow instead of green. Brown hair emerged from under his cap and his medium blue eyes were filled with zeal as he wielded his sword broadly. The only girl of the three of them was also clad in such a uniform, only hers was a pale shade of green and her hat was round and flat. Her ginger hair was tied into two long, yet functional pigtails and her weapon was clearly a bow as she held it tightly, the quiver on her back full of arrows as she looked as equally capable of fighting as her male companions did.

"We need more ammo!" the brawny young man said, tossing his bomb into the leather bag at his waist, which appeared to be able to somehow hold a sizable amount of them. "Those pests are really giving us a hard time out there!"

"Not to mention that dragon knight!" the golden-clad young man said a bit breathlessly, checking over a small burn wound he had received on his arm, most likely from the foe in question. "He nearly roasted us all alive!"

"I knew that witch couldn't be trusted from the moment she showed up here!" the girl said with a frown. "No one who goes around parading herself like that ever has good intentions. Now we have to fight both that dragon knight and that creepy demon lord off!"

"Well, we might as well get to it then," the first young man said as he restocked his pouch full of bombs. "We gotta do whatever it takes to save Skyloft!" Before the three of them could set out once more however, the first young man happened to spot the hero still standing at the entryway of the keep watching the scene. "Hey!" the burly young man exclaimed with a wide grin, calling the attention of his companions. "Look, you guys! It's Link!"

The trio immediately rushed towards Link, who was absolutely confused as to how they seemed to know him, even though he had never seen any of them before. "Hey, Link!" the young man in yellow greeted warmly. "How's it going?"

The hero frowned, still wondering how he seemed to be recognized in a time that was not his own. "Um… do I know you?" he asked all three of them, something that quickly caused their invited smiles to fade into the same confusion that he was showing.

"C'mon, Link!" the stronger young man said with a slight chuckle, believing that the hero was merely joking, though he was completely serious. "Quit messing around! We're your buddies! Groose," he said, referring to himself. "Pipit," he motioned to the golden-clad knight, who grinned and nodded knowingly. "And Karane!" he said, poiting to the girl who smiled playfully. "Now, let's go! We don't have time for games, and besides, we could really use your help out there busting up those creeps!"

Before Link could insist that he really didn't know any of them, he was cut off by Karane, who had circled around him and was holding the end of his scarf in her hands, admiring the skillful stitch work of it. "Wow, Link," she said in slight amazement. "This is a beautiful scarf! Did Zelda make it for you?"

"Zelda?!" Link asked in alarm, completely forgetting about the previous conversation as his thoughts all centered on the missing princess as he assumed that if her name was known here, then certainly she must have somehow visited Skyloft at one point or another. "The princess was here?!"

"Princess?" Pipit asked, raising an eyebrow. "You must really be out of it, Link. Zelda's not a princess, and besides… isn't she up here with you somewhere?"

"What?" the hero asked in complete bewilderment, exchanging a brief glance with Proxi as she continued to float nearby, eagerly awaiting to give an explanation.

"I think I get it…" the fairy said, and of course, only Link was able to understand what she was saying. "They must think that you're the hero from their era, the chosen hero of the goddess Hylia! The Zelda they're talking about was the goddess's human incarnation, not the princess."

"Oh…" Link nodded in understanding as well as slight disappointment as he realized that he was nowhere closer to finding Zelda than before. But even so, he decided to relay what Proxi had just told him and explain to Groose, Pipit, and Karane that he was not the Link they believed him to be, telling them that him and his troops were from another time entirely, but that they had come to aid in the fight nonetheless.

"So… Let me get this straight…" Groose said, scratching his head in confusion as he tried to piece everything together. "Your name is Link, and you're a hero, but… you're not _our _Link?"

"Right," the hero nodded, hoping that it cleared things up.

"And… you come from the future?" Karane asked, obviously bewildered by all this.

Link nodded once more before explaining the situation even further. "And the witch and the dragon knight who attacked your home in the first place are named Cia and Volga," he clarified. "They started a war in the Hyrule of my time and so we're trying to stop them by finding and closing something called the Gate of Souls."

"Hyrule?" Pipit asked, not familiar with the term.

"Hyrule hasn't been formed in this time period yet," Proxi quickly said to Link. "To them, it's only known as the surface."

"I mean, the surface," the hero corrected, knowing that explaining that much would take too much time.

"So, what's this Gate of Souls thing, huh?" Groose asked curiously.

"It's where all these monsters are coming from," Link said, remembering how Lana had defined the Gate of Souls. "I was told that closing it would keep any more from coming."

"Well then, let's close it, by all means!" Karane said with resolve. "Anything to get rid of all these destructive beasts! Where is it?"

"I don't know," the hero said with a frown. "We'll have to find it first."

"Don't worry," Groose said with a broad confident grin. "We'll help you find it and drive these dirt bags outta here!"

"Thanks," Link said with a grateful smile, finding these young new allies to be more courageous and willing to fight than even his own troops. "Now, let's go!"

Without another word, they group of four, as well as the Hylian troops and a faction of Skyloftian troops headed out from the keep, only to find that the pathway leading to the island holding the enemy base had been destroyed by their foes. However, they didn't let that stop them as they cut a path through the town towards the north, specifically, the area surrounding the towering statue of the goddess Hylia.

The troops were quick to engage against the monsters all over the place, hoping to stop their advance from moving to any of the untouched parts of the island, or more specifically, the allied base to the southeast, where most of the civilians of the besieged town had gathered for protection. However, it quickly became apparent to Link, as he tore his way through the enemy forces skillfully, that the dragon knight was indeed at the head of this attack. Volga stood upon the raised up island that contained the enemy base, watching fiercely as his forces dueled the combined Hylian and Skyloft troops.

"Hah!" the dragon knight laughed in triumph, knowing that certainly the meager, vastly outnumbered army could do little to take down the monsters Cia had supplied him with. "Every last human in these lands will fall to my fiery blade!"

Unbeknownst to Volga however, another figure stood not too far behind him, glaring disgruntledly at the dragon knight whom he had been forced to work with by the black witch, whose power was the only thing he had taken note of during her initial strike upon the island. "That Volga, so full of himself," the mysterious foe scoffed to himself, crossing his arms and scowling dramatically. "He forgets that it is I, Ghirahim, who truly leads the demon tribe!" The self-proclaimed demon lord cast another harsh look at the dragon knight, who was unaware of his presence, before he vanished in a cluster of diamonds, already planning on how he was going to take charge of this strike himself.

Meanwhile, Link fought alongside Groose, Pipit, and Karane unflinchingly, all three of them utilizing their respective skills in combat. The hero, of course, cut his sword through any foolish bokoblin that dared to enter into his path. Groose utilized his wide supply of bombs nicely, tossing one into every group of monsters he came across and not even bothering to watch the explosion as he prepared the next one. Pipit, much like Link, also showed a great skill in swordplay, as could be seen from how he thrust through the enemy forces with an obvious level of experience. And Karane's expertise with her bow certainly came in handy as she was able to take aim from afar and strike down most of her foes in one hit. Altogether, the four of them made a fairly powerful team, and yet even as skilled and determined as the youths were, it was clear that the monsters were going to keep coming all the same, no matter how many they took out.

"We'll have to take Volga out if we want to end this," the hero said to his allies as they continued to fight. "Is there any way to get up there?"

"All the paths have been broken up," Pipit said with a frown. "But the captain came up with a plan a little while ago. We're going to try and convince Lord Levias to reconnect them."

"Lord Levias?" Link asked in confusion. "Who's that?"

"He's the great sky spirit," Karane said as she aimed an arrow towards a nearby bokoblin. "Whenever Skyloft is in trouble and needs his help, we ask for his aid and offer him a sacrifice of his favorite delicacy: pumpkin soup."

Though the hero found this information to be somewhat strange, he nodded nonetheless, already getting an idea of what their plan was. "So do you have any pumpkin soup?" he asked, hoping that there would be some on hand.

"It just so happens that we do," Groose said with a wide grin. "We got a whole big pot of it waiting right inside the Goddess Statue! All we need to do is get it to the edge of the island, and Levias well eat it right up!"

"Sounds like that should be our first goal then!" Proxi said to Link, who had already reached the same conclusion.

"I'll head up that way then," the hero said to his companions. "Can you guys hold them off here?"

"Sure thing!" Groose said as he threw another bomb at the attacking monsters, not even flinching from the fray once as Pipit and Karane did the same. Satisfied that they would succeed, Link began to cut a path away from the monsters and towards the northern entrance of the statue. However, as he approached it, a sudden voice sounded out, its sound ethereal and mysterious, yet strangely familiar as the hero stopped in his tracks and listened to it.

"Link… Master…" the distant, yet close voice said almost beckoningly. "Come… I wait for your arrival underneath the Goddess Statue…"

"Did you hear that?" Link asked Proxi almost immediately after the voice faded.

"Hear what?" the fairy asked, having not heard the voice, even though the hero had as plain as day.

"That voice…" Link said with a frown as he got moving again, knowing that there was no time to waste, even though his curiosity was certainly aroused. "It sounded like it was coming from the statue…"

"Well, we're heading there anyway," Proxi said, fluttering on ahead. "Maybe there's somebody in there."

The hero nodded in agreement with this as he continued on, eventually making it into the open entrance of the statue. The room inside of the statue was elegant and almost sacred in the feeling it put off, silence echoing through the tall chamber as Link stepped inside of it a bit hesitantly. However, aside from the architecture of the room itself, the first thing that caught his eye was the beautiful sword resting within the stone pedestal in the center of the chamber. The blade seemed to be bathed in a heavenly light, one that suddenly intensified as the hero took a slight step closer to it. The sword flashed brightly about a second later, and out of it emerged a being unlike any Link had ever seen before.

The figure that had apparently come out of the sword was feminine in its appearance, somewhat angelic and enigmatic all at once. Its body appeared to be made out of metal, and it seemed to have no arms, though if it did they were covered by a blue and violet flowing cloak draping down its shoulders. Its figure was elegant and shapely, clad in a short purple dress with a large blue diamond upon her chest. Its fine legs were covered in aqua blue bands, though it did not stand upon the ground but rather float gently above it. Its face, as well as its short hair, was light blue in color, and its eyes were vacant and pupil-less, its expression emotionless as it looked upon the hero, who stared back at it in bewilderment.

"Greetings. My name is Fi," the being spoke in a feminine, almost robotic tone. "I have been waiting for you, Hero of Hyrule…"

"What… what are you?" Link asked in amazement, looking up at Fi as she hovered in front of the sword she had come out of.

"I am the spirit of the blade that stands before you, the Goddess Sword," Fi said eloquently. "I have awoken from my former slumber within the blade in order to aid the sky folk in this battle, however, before you arrived, we were betrayed by the black witch, Cia, and left to the hordes attacking the island now. You seek to aid in this situation, even though you and your troops are not of this time, correct?"

"Yeah…" the hero confirmed, though he was still confused. "But… how did you know that?"

"I am knowledgeable in many things," the sword spirit said. "I was created by the goddess to aid her first chosen hero, and so there is much that I know of the present, as well as some foresight into the future. As such, I am able to recognize that you are not _the _Master, but I can consider you a Master."

"What does that mean?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It means that my mission is to serve you," Fi said, inclining her head in respect towards him. "You are a reincarnation of the Spirit of the Hero, and therefore, you are worthy of being my Master."

Before the hero could say anything to this, the sword spirt leapt high into the air and quickly lunged towards him, still hovering in the air as she came in close and leaned into his face. "My assistance is necessary for your success," Fi said as her face was but a few inches away from Link's, who was startled at her sudden approach. "If it is your will, then allow me to accompany you on this mission and lend my aid in this fight. Does this satisfy you?"

"Um… yes, it does," the hero said, knowing that any help was certainly welcome. "Of course you can come along, Fi."

"Thank you," the sword spirit said with a polite nod, glancing behind her for a moment as the Goddess Sword vanished into thin air, apparently joining with her so that she could fight free of it. "Until our shared mission is complete, please allow me to call you, Master."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Link said humbly, not used to being referred to by such a title.

"But I insist, Master," Fi said, clearly not taking no for an answer. "Now, I concur that you need assistance in transporting this pumpkin soup to the sky spirit, Levias, correct?" she asked, referring to the large vat of soup sitting in one of the corners of the keep, confirming what Groose had said earlier.

"Yes," the hero said, though he wasn't sure how he was going to lift something that large, much less carry it to the edge of the island.

"Very well then," the sword spirit said, finally backing up a bit as she glided towards the pot. "I shall carry this pumpkin soup to the desired destination, as it will help our allies advance upon the enemy." Without another word, Fi lifted one of her cloaked arms, surrounding the vat of soup in a blue aura as she caused it to levitate off of the ground, as though it weighed nothing at all. "Where would you like me to transport the soup, Master?"

"This way," Link said, admittedly surprised that Fi was able to do something like that so effortlessly, but nonetheless, he led the way out of the chamber and back outside, where the monsters had clearly began to press on towards, hoping to put an end to the Skyloftians' plan before it could come to fruition. Of course, Groose, Pipit, and Karane, as well as quite a few soldiers were hot on their trail, and the hero was quick to leap back into the fray immediately, knowing that Fi would have to be kept safe if they ever wanted the soup delivered. However, the sword spirit herself was far from helpless, for as Link prepared to defend her, Fi glided gracefully past him, still somehow keeping the soup suspended in midair as she spun into several bokoblins, the sharp tips of her cloak cutting them fatally. The hero couldn't help but watch in amazement as the sword spirit fought in a way that was almost akin to dancing, every move fluid and elegant as she spun and leapt through the air. Her skill and finesse did not go unnoticed by the youths as they continued to fight, taken aback by the sudden, strange appearance of their apparent new ally.

"What is that thing?" Karane asked as her, Pipit, and Groose all stared at Fi in amazement, not knowing that even in the midst of battle, the perceptive sword spirit had heard her.

"I am called Fi," the sword spirit informed, turning towards the three of them as she came to a stop in front of them, briefly glancing behind her to make sure that the pumpkin soup was still untouched. "I am the spirit of the Goddess Sword, and I wish to aid in this battle serving under my new Master." Upon saying this, she abruptly turned back towards Link, who was preoccupied taking down several monsters swiftly, still pressing onwards towards the point where the path going towards the enemy base had been cut off. Knowing that it was her duty to aid him, Fi glided off to join him, prompting the vat of soup to follow after her and leaving Groose, Pipit, and Karane duly impressed with both the hero and the sword spirit as they followed after them as well.

Fortunately, the edge of the island was quite close to the Goddess's Statue, and so, after clearing the pathway of enemies, Link and Fi made it there in a relatively short amount of time. Upon reaching their destination, the sword spirit held her arms out in front of her, causing the pot to levitate out over the gap between the main island of Skyloft and the barren island. For a moment or two, both the hero and the sword spirit waited expectantly as their allies joined them, all of them hoping that the sky spirit would appear to aid them, and sure enough, soon enough a deep, rumbling voice could be heard throughout the skies.

"Ho ho! Is that my favorite soup I smell?" the sky spirit said as he swam through the air itself as though it were water, gliding in close to the island. Levias was a whale-like, enormous in size, yet benevolent in nature, something that all of the people of Skyloft knew, hence their reverence towards him. He floated a close to the island as he approached the vat of soup, pausing for a moment as his sagely red eye drifted over to the group gathered on the edge of the island. "Did you all bring this for me?" he asked in anticipation, his large belly already rumbling from his insatiable appetite for the soup.

Upon seeing Levias, all of the Skyloftians lowered themselves to one knee in respect, and Link and his troops followed suit. Fi was the one who ultimately spoke up however, gliding a bit closer to the sky spirit in order to address him. "Lord Levias," the sword spirit began politely. "We offer this sacrifice to you and ask for your help in defeating those who threaten the sky. Will you aid us?"

"Ah, yes," the sky spirit agreed unhesitatingly, as watching over the skies was his duty. "Anything for that delicious pumpkin soup! So the roads have crumbled? Well, let me see what I can do…" Before anything else, however, Levias was quick to scoop the entire vat of pumpkin soup into his wide mouth, clearly enjoying the meal before he got to work on the task at hand. The sky spirit swam backwards away from the island, taking note of the large islet floating nearby and realizing that it would serve as the perfect solution to this problem. Increasing his speed, Levias glided towards the land mass and collided his strong head against it, the force of the impact enough to push the islet forward through the air until it crashed between the two disjointed islands and came to a halt between them, forming a much-needed path.

As soon as the road was connected once again, the Hylian and Skyloftian forces pressed onward, Link and Fi both leading the way as they pressed on against their enemies, hoping to get a foothold on the enemy base. However, this sudden change in the landscape did not go unnoticed by Volga as he led a strike down towards the south, hoping to strike the allied base.

"What happened?!" the dragon knight demanded as both islands rumbled from the islet colliding against them both. "Who reconnected the paths?!"

"It appears as though the 'Great' Spirit of the Sky has shown up and opened the road up for his dear little sky folk…" the demon lord deadpanned crossly as he suddenly appeared in a flash of diamonds behind Volga.

"And how did such a thing happen, Ghirahim?" the dragon knight growled, glaring at his ally, though he referred to the demon lord as such very loosely.

"Don't ask me," Ghirahim said with an unconcerned shrug. "Mistress Cia tasked _you _with taking this island, Volga, so perhaps you aren't very good at your job…"

Volga's burning scowl deepened even more upon hearing such patronizing words as he gripped his spear even tighter. "She tasked us _both _with taking the land in the sky!" he retorted harshly. "Remember your place, demon lord. I am the one in charge of this strike, not you."

"Oh, of course," the demon lord said with clear sarcasm in his tone. "Forgive me, 'Lord' Volga. Thank you for reminding me of my humble lot. Now, if you don't mind me asking, how was it that the sky folk summoned Levias again, since you're _so _smart?"

The dragon knight growled in rage at the demon lord, hating his entitled, snobbish attitude and wanting to rip him to shreds right there and then for it. And yet, he restrained himself, remembering what Cia had commanded; if they wanted their plans to work, then they needed Ghirahim's cooperation, as much as Volga hated that fact. "Well, why don't you go find out and take care of it?" the dragon knight asked, his voice low and feral.

Ghirahim seemed to ponder this for a moment or two before a coy smile crossed his features. "Very well then," he agreed, seeming almost willing to follow Volga's order, though the dragon knight doubted he was going to be that compliant. "I'll go. After all, running through a few human hearts should brighten my mood…" Without another word, the demon lord teleported away, leaving the dragon knight to continue on his advance while he headed northward instead. Of course, the moment Ghirahim was out of Volga's earshot, he let out a disgruntled scoff of aggravation, rolling his eyes in disgust at the conditions he found himself working under. He was the feared Demon Lord, the leader of all of the monstrous forces that ravaged both the surface and the sky, and yet, because of the black witch, he had been reduced to little more than the dragon knight's lackey. And yet, Ghirahim knew that he wouldn't have to endure such humiliation for much longer; after all, working with Volga, and even Cia were only a means to an end, an end that the demon lord planned on reaching quite soon.

Meanwhile, the Hylian and Skyloftian troops were cutting through the aggressive enemy forces the best they could, even despite the fact that their number was still insurmountable. The enemy base was well fortified, and even getting into it and capturing it wouldn't drive out their foes for good. Most likely, that would take the defeat of the enemy commander, though as they got closer to the enemy base, the allied troops found that the dragon knight was nowhere in sight.

"Hey!" Proxi chimed out as she flew overhead. "Where's Volga at? We need to take him down now!"

"I deduce that there is an 80% chance that the dragon knight has set a course for the allied base," Fi, who was also able to understand fairies, said to Link as the two of them fought side by side.

"Then we need to stop him before he gets there," the hero said after ripping his blade across yet another bokoblin. "Are you guys coming?" he asked Groose, Pipit, and Karane, who were not fighting too far away.

"Sure thing!" Groose said with determination, ready to fight as ever. "We'll give that scaly punk what for!"

Pipit and Karane nodded in agreement with confident smiles, and without any further deliberation, the five of them were off, leaving the rest of the forces behind to deal with the enemy base. However, none of them were aware of the figure standing out of sight, watching their advance carefully and calculatingly. "So, a flock of sky children are going to fight Volga, are they?" Ghirahim chucked slyly to himself. "I'm sure he'll simply adore such playmates…" The demon lord paused for a moment however, his grin fading into a scowl upon catching sight of one of their number, specifically the green-clad hero. "The sky child!" he hissed in hatred, his hands balling up into fists for a moment, before his glare evened out into a sinister grin. "Perhaps this battle won't be such a bore after all…" Without another word, the demon lord vanished in a flurry of diamonds, his dark laugh echoing behind him as he prepared to make his next move.

The path to the south was relatively clear of monsters, and yet what the hero and his companions were not expecting was a trap to be sprung upon them as they ran through one of the empty keeps. More specifically however, the trap was set after most of them were out of the keep; Groose, Pipit, Karane, and Fi had all made it out just fine, but right before Link, who was covering the group from behind, found himself trapped as the door to the keep suddenly and inexplicably slammed shut right in front of him.

Of course, all of the hero's allies were quick to stop in their tracks the moment this happened, and they were quick to attempt to open the doors in order to free him. First, Groose attempted to blow the door down using one of his bombs, but it did little good and so they all began to pound and push against the doors, futilely trying to get them to budge. "Link!" Pipit shouted so that he could be heard through the thick doors. "Are you ok in there?"

"Yeah!" the hero answered back from thin the keep, glancing behind him briefly to see that all four doors of the keep were shut tight. "But you all need to keep going! I'll find a way out of here and meet up with you soon."

"Are you sure?" Karane asked with concern, however, before Link could offer a reply, he was abruptly cut off by a sudden voice laughing darkly from behind him.

"Well, well, sky child… It's been a while…"

Though Groose, Pipit, and Karane had not heard this voice, Fi, who had particularly sensitive hearing had, and she recognized it instantly. "All of you, follow my Master's words and go face the dragon knight," she said quickly to the three of them, her tone just as serious as ever. "I must aid my Master."

Before any of them could protest, the sword spirit hurriedly darted up into the air, propelling herself up over the walls of the keep. Knowing that there was little else they could do, the three youths simply decided to do as both Link and Fi had said and continue on with their mission, hoping that the hero and the sword spirit would reunite with them soon.

However, before Fi arrived inside of the keep, Link found himself completely alone inside of the keep with an all new enemy. He appeared to be a man, though he was unlike any man the hero had ever seen. He was tall and of a somewhat muscular, but still lean build. His skin was ashy white, while he wore a cleaner shade of white tights with diamonds cut into them, along with matching gloves and a golden sash. A blood red cape was draped upon his shoulders, running down his chest as well as splaying out behind him, the inside of it covered in black and gold diamond designs. One of his eyes were hidden behind an unbroken curtain of white hair, though the rest of it was short, and his visible eye was black and filled with murderous intent as he looked upon the hero with a sinister grin.

"At long last we meet again, sky child…" the demon lord said, eyeing Link as though he was but prey. "I was _so _hoping we'd have a chance encounter like this, and once again, my dear boy, you don't disappoint! Though I must say that scarf is a rather tacky addition to your already drab attire…"

The hero gave him a confused, yet distrustful look as he held his sword out in preparation, already knowing that this meeting was going to result in a fight. "I think you have me confused with someone else," he said unflinchingly, knowing that, just like Groose, Pipit, and Karane, this new enemy most likely believed that he was the hero of this era.

"You've forgotten me so soon, sky child?" Ghirahim asked with a fake pout, feigning hurt. "Very well then. Allow me to remind you _exactly _who I am!" With a snap of his fingers, a long, thin, curved saver-like sword appeared in his hand and he ran his long, almost snake-like tongue along the length of its metal surface in order to unnerve Link before he pointed it at him challengingly.

However, before the hero could engage the demon lord in battle, the sword spirit finally appeared, landing elegantly between the two of them as she prepared to defend her master if need be. "Master, are you all right?" she asked, glancing back at Link briefly.

"I'm fine," the hero said with a nod, giving Fi a small smile of gratitude. "But thank you anyway, Fi."

The sword spirit nodded in response to this, but before she could say anything else, Ghirahim cut in. "Well, if it isn't my lovely little emotionless counterpart," the demon lord said with an almost flirtatious smirk. "How many ages has it been since we've last met, Fi? If I recall correctly, our last encounter was during the great war, was it not?"

"This is not a time for reminiscing, Ghirahim," Fi said coldly. "We have come to defeat you and your forces, and so we shall."

"All right, then…" Ghirahim said, rolling his eyes at both of them as he held up his blade once again. "If it's a duel you both want, then it is a _bloodbath _you both shall get!"

Without exchanging anymore words, both Link and Fi leapt into action against the demon lord. The hero was the first to strike out, swinging his sword broadly at Ghirahim, who somehow managed to catch the tip of it between two of his fingers. Startled at this, Link hurriedly wedged the blade out of his grip with the demon lord merely grinned cockily at him, which the sword spirit attempted to use to her advantage by spinning towards him with her arms raised, though Ghirahim was quick to block this as well. Pleased that both of these attacks had failed, the demon lord decided to make his own strike against both of them by using his magic to transform his saber into a hefty black claymore before swinging it widely. Fi was quick enough to dash out of its path, but Link was not so lucky as the large blade tore across his chest, though fortunately his chainmail caught the brunt of the impact, leaving him relatively unharmed. As the claymore disappeared in a burst of diamonds, Ghirahim took the opportunity to go for another attack aimed specifically at the hero, but Link made sure to block his jab with his shield before giving a thrust of his own, one that successfully scrapped across the demon lord's almost metal-like skin. Ghirahim let out a pained grunt as he scowled at the hero, not noticing as Fi subtly transformed into the Goddess Blade behind him until she vertically tore across his exposed back. The demon lord stumbled forward as the sacred sword managed to draw out some of his black blood, and Link took advantage of this moment of weakness well by slashing out against Ghirahim brutally at every opening he got. However, the demon lord wasn't about to let himself be vulnerable for too long as he quickly backed away, gripping onto his blade tightly as he unexpectedly lashed out at Fi, sending a wave of demonic energy her way that she was unable to block. The energy hit the sword spirit squarely in the chest and repelled her backwards into the far wall off the keep, which she collided into roughly. During this strike, Link attempted to launch an attack on his own upon Ghirahim, but the demon lord moved far too fast, conjuring up a small, glowing red knife and sending it flying at the hero. The dagger struck Link in his unarmored shoulder and dug its way all the through, drawing quite a bit of blood and causing him unbelievable amounts of pain. However, before the hero could attempt to draw it out as it was slowly embedding itself deeper and deeper into his shoulder, the demon lord roughly shoved him against the wall by both of his shoulders, only causing him more agony. With a cruel grin, Ghirahim kept Link pinned to the wall, restraining both of his arms with one hand as he created another small dagger and pressed it up against the hero's neck.

"You've gotten quite sloppy since our last battle, sky child," the demon lord hissed darkly as he leaned in close to the hero, pressing his knife ever so slightly against his neck so that it elicited a trickle of blood. "But oh well… I suppose it doesn't matter now. At least I'll _finally _be able to deafen you with the sound of your own screams, just like I promised…"

Though Link had no idea what Ghirahim was referring to, her glared relentlessly at his foe, not showing any signs of fear whatsoever, even though the demon lord was poised to end his life in a mere second. However, before Ghirahim could fatally slit his knife against the hero's throat, he let out a sudden cry of pain as Fi, taking on the form of the Goddess Sword once again, slashed across his back brutally, repeating the process over and over again until the demon lord relinquished his grip on Link. By the time he could push the sword spirit away, the demon lord had been significantly damaged, to the point that he was doubled over in pain as both Fi and Link stood ready to attack him once more if they had to.

"You fools are so insensitive…" Ghirahim growled in frustration, his breathing short and shallow. However, even despite his wounds, the demon lord was quick to right himself as he stood upright once more, readjusting his cape and grooming his frazzled hair. "Who could have known that you were such a forced to be reckoned with, my dear Fi?" he asked, glaring hotly at the sword spirit. "Wish I could say the same for you, sky child…"

"You have been defeated, Ghirahim," Fi said with the slightest hint of distaste in her tone. "The common practice for one who has been defeated is to retreat, unless you would like us to solidify your defeat even more."

"That won't be necessary…" the demon lord said with a petty scowl. "I think I'll just take my leave for now and leave you to play with Volga, but be warned, both of you: this isn't the end…" With one last hateful glare directed at both of them, Ghirahim teleported away in an array of diamonds, the doors of the keep finally creaking open in his wake.

Since they were no longer in immediate danger, Link took the opportunity to quickly look over his injured shoulder, cringing as he saw the deep, bleeding wound torn across it. He could no longer see the knife that Ghirahim had stabbed into it as it had wedged itself in far too deep, and the hero knew that removing it would be no easy task.

"Master, are you alright?" Fi asked with as much concern as she could, gliding in close to inspect the injury herself.

"Yeah," Link said with a nod, even though the wound was quite serious. "At least it wasn't on my sword arm, so I can keep on fighting. Who was that anyway?"

"That was Ghirahim, the Demon Lord who claims to preside over the surface," the sword spirit said informatively. "He encountered my previous Master in battle several times and never prevailed. It stands to reason that Ghirahim sees the uncanny resemblance between him and you and mistook you for the Hero of the Skies." Fi paused for a moment as she examined the hero's wounded shoulder carefully, before reaching her analytical conclusion. "Master, I suggest removing the knife before continuing," the sword spirit cautioned. "Failing to do so could result in an infection, as well as further scarring to your internal tissue."

The hero took in an anxious breath, knowing that she was right, but at the same time, knowing that certainly Groose, Pipit, and Karane would be needing help in squaring off against Volga by now. And besides, so long as he didn't move his right arm that much, the injury didn't even hurt that much; certainly he'd be able to make it until they ousted the dragon knight and his troops from Skyloft, right?

"I'll deal with it later," Link said a bit stubbornly, already pressing his way past Fi to move onward towards the south. The sword spirit almost called out to him once more in an attempt to convince him to change his mind, but she saw no use for it since, just like her previous master, her new one wasn't the best at listening either.

The hero and the sword spirit were quick to cut across down the southern path of the island, only to find the area near the allied base in absolute chaos. Of course, since most of the common residents of Skyloft were hiding away within the base, the entrances to it were all fortunately sealed shut, but that didn't stop their foes from trying to break into it by any means necessary. Just a bit to the north of the allied base was Volga himself, commanding his troops in the midst of fighting against Groose, Pipit, and Karane. All three youths battled on courageously despite their impending exhaustion, as well as all of the burns and wounds that the incredibly strong dragon knight had inflicted upon them.

"If you children knew what was good for you, you'd stand down before you get hurt," Volga said in his usual hateful tone, lashing out his fiery spear towards all three of them.

"And if _you _knew what was good for you, you'd crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of!" Groose retorted resiliently, sending a bomb flying the dragon knight's way, which he easily dodged.

"Don't make me laugh!" Volga shouted haughtily as he happened to land another hit upon both Pipit and Karane with a lash of his sharp claws. "You're all weak. I was expecting a battle worth my time, not this child's play!"

Link gripped his sword tighter upon hearing such callous remarks, even though he was still a sizable distance away from the fight, but he was quick to cross that distance, his sword at the ready as he leapt headfirst into the fray. "Then why don't _I _give you a battle worth your time!" the hero proclaimed courageously, already fully prepared to square off against this foe a second time.

"Link!" Groose, Pipit, and Karane all exclaimed in unison as the hero appeared, all three of them surprised, yet relieved to see that he was all right.

Their reunion was cut short however, as Volga set a glare that burned as hot as the fire he breathed towards Link, remembering well the battle that took place weeks ago in Hyrule Field. "You again…" he hissed hatefully, gripping his spear tightly. "Of course, you, of all people, had to come up here and get in our way. If it wasn't for Mistress Cia's orders to keep you alive, then I'd impale you right here and now!"

"Well, if she wants me so badly, then why doesn't she just come for me herself?" the hero asked defiantly.

"Because apparently, she has 'other matters' to attend to," the dragon knight said, not hiding the derision for his supposed mistress in his tone. "But no matter. I'll still crush you like the urchin you are before I hand you over to her!"

"I'd like to see you try," Link said with a confident grin, poising his sword to fight. And indeed, without another word, the duel between the hero and the dragon knight commenced, sword and spear colliding roughly as both of them pressed hard against the other, hoping to outmatch each other in strength. After a moment or two of this however, Volga retracted his weapon and took in a deep breath, before letting a wide-range flame loose as he exhaled. Link managed to dodge its range, as did his allies, who were still as engaged in the battle as they were before. However, as the hero attempted to lash out against his foe, the dragon knight began to perform his signature move. Volga leaped high into the air and in almost an instant, transformed into his dragon form fully, using his large wings to hover in the air for a moment or two as he prepared to dive-bomb upon all of them. Link caught onto this almost immediately and, knowing that this was an attack that could not be defended against, he retreated away from the immediate area, encouraging his allies to do the same.

By the time the dragon knight collided with the ground, the group of five had all headed northwards, not only out of the range of his attack, but also out of his sight. "That guy wasn't kidding when he called himself the dragon knight!" Pipit exclaimed windily as they all took to an allied keep for a brief respite. "Who knew he could actually turn into one?!"

"He's gotten stronger since the last time I faced him a few weeks ago," Link said with a frown, glancing out from the keep to see that Volga, who was enraged that his foes had fled, was relentlessly laying siege upon the allied base. "We have to find a way to defeat him."

"Master, I have a suggestion," Fi spoke up. "I purpose that we ask Levias for his aid once more in dealing with the dragon knight. Certainly his strength will be able to combat Volga's."

"That's actually a really good idea," Karane nodded in agreement. "The only problem is that we don't have any more pumpkin soup on hand."

"There is actually another issue as well," the sword spirit reported. "While the sky spirit is certainly strong, I am able to sense that he is not as his full power at the moment, most likely because of the malevolent influence of Volga, Ghirahim, and their forces. However, I also estimate that we could be able to bring Levias up to his full strength by calling upon the assistance of a Great Fairy."

"I can sense a Fairy Fountain a little bit to the north of here!" Proxi exclaimed, flittering near the hero excitedly. "I'm sure she'd be willing to help us!"

"Master, please make haste to the Great Fairy," Fi said, setting their next mission in stone. "I shall distract Volga while you all accomplish this. I wish you luck in your endeavor."

"Thanks, Fi," Link said with a grateful smile to his new ally, knowing that she certainly was proving her worth. "Good luck to you too."

And so, the sword spirit set out to the south to square off against the dragon knight while the hero and his allies headed for the Fairy Fountain with Proxi guiding them along the way. The Fairy Fountain of Skyloft was a hallowed, revered place that few ever dared to enter into, secluded inside of an immaculate structure resting on the edge of the island. Because of this, Groose, Pipit, and Karane were all a bit reluctant to enter inside of it, but the one who stopped completely in their tracks upon entering was Link. The Fairy Fountain of this time looked almost identical to the one in Hyrule Field, and upon seeing its peaceful beauty, the hero was instantly reminded of how the princess had selflessly aided him in making it there. A sudden sense of longing filled him that he couldn't quite place, one that had something to do with Zelda, even though it had been weeks since he last saw her. But all the same, Link knew that now was not the time to be thinking of the missing princess, though finding her was certainly a high priority of his, he had a more immediate task he needed to be focusing on at the moment.

"Great Fairy!" the hero called out, remembering how Zelda had addressed her by standing within the magic circle in front of the fountain. "We need your help!"

With the bright laugh, the Great Fairy sprung up out of the fountain but a moment later, heeding Link's call without hesitation. "Well, hello, hero!" she greeted, giving him a playful grin. "What can I help you with?"

"We need you to make the sky spirit Levias stronger," Link said, inclining his head with the proper respect due to a Great Fairy as Proxi bowed her wings in homage. "Can you do that?"

"Why, of course I can, my dear!" the Great Fairy said with a giggle. "I'll send my little friends out right now and they'll get right on it!" With another loud laugh, the Great Fairy held her hands out wide, allowing a large group of sparkling pink fairies to fly out from the fountain so they could do the task assigned to them. However, she let Link go, the Great Fairy lowered her face in close to hers, giving him a coy smile of admiration as she stroked one of her long fingernails against his cheek gently. The hero flinched at this unexpected gesture as he felt the tips of his ears redden a bit from embarrassment, especially as he heard Groose, Pipit, and Karane giggling behind him.

"Take care, dear hero…" the Great Fairy said, her coy smile still present as she began to fade back into the fountain. "Come back whenever you are weary…"

As soon as the Great Fairy disappeared, the four of them all took it as their sign to return to the battle, and so they did. However, none of them could ignore the strange sight that was happening right above their heads, the result of the Great Fairy's magic no doubt. A large group of fairies floated high above Skyloft, all of them holding onto what appeared to be a fishing pole. The bait dangling from the end of this rod however was a heavy vat of pumpkin soup, which immediately attracted Levias from his spot not too far from the island. As the fairies held their lure in place, the still-hungry sky spirit swam towards it at an ever increasing speed, until he leapt through the clouds to catch it. At this point, the fairies let go of the rod and dissipated into thin air, allowing the pot of soup to fall right into Levias's open mouth, the empowered mixture giving him all the extra strength he needed.

No more than a second after ingesting the pumpkin soup, a dazzling array of several bolts of lightning jolted out from the sky spirits whale-like form, lighting up the already bright skies even more. The lightning bolts rained down upon Skyloft, fortunately none of them harming any innocent people as they were all aimed solely at the enemy forces, or more specifically, Volga himself, who was struck with one of them squarely. The dragon knight let out a sharp cry of pain as he crumbled to his knees in front of the sword spirit, paralyzed by the attack and left completely to her mercy.

"Is that enough divine intervention for you?" Levias's voice rumbled across Skyloft as he prepared to fly off into the clouds once more. "Good. I grow weary…"

As the sky spirit took his leave from the battle, Volga did his best to try and recover from his paralysis, though Fi was quick to take advantage of his moment of weakness. And, just as the dragon knight was able to force her away and reclaim his footing, Link, Groose, Pipit, and Karane returned from the Fairy Fountain, ready to leap right back into the fray.

"Master, Volga is weak," Fi reported to Link. "You must deliver the final blow!"

The hero nodded in agreement, exchanging a glance with his companions who all returned it with confident grins. "We'll _all _deliver the final blow," he said, brandishing his blade as they five of them converged on the hindered dragon knight. Volga let out a cry of both pain and rage as Link cut his blade roughly across his chest, unable to defend himself as Pipit did the same to his back. Both of them quickly dodged out of the way however as Groose tossed a bomb towards the weakened dragon knight, who was blown back by the explosion into Karane's range as she fired and arrow right for Volga's shoulder, pinning him to the ground and allowing Link to come in for the final blow. While the hero could have put an end to the dragon knight then and there, such a thing would have been cheap and unfair in light of all that had occurred, and so he simply landed a heavy blow across his armored chest instead of impaling him completely.

Volga let out a pained moan of defeat as Link backed off of him, though he still kept his defenses up just in case he had more tricks up his sleeve. However, the dragon knight looked completely defeated as he managed to weakly rise to his knees, clutching at his injured chest as he cast an angry glare at the youths. "You worthless children!" he shouted in rage at all of them. "I certainly would have defeated you if not for the Sky Spirit's interference… You won't be so lucky next time we meet, _boy_…" he growled specifically at the hero in seething hatred, not sparing another word as he called forth his crippled wings and flew off out of their reach, symbolizing to both the Hylian and Skyloftian troops that this battle had been won.

* * *

While the humans began to celebrate their supposed victory, the demon lord watched them from afar, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he stood upon an abandoned islet above Skyloft. No more than a moment later, the defeated dragon knight haphazardly landed upon the same island, clearly winded and out of sorts in the aftermath of the battle he had just lost.

"I see you lost to that aggravating sky child as well, yes, Volga?" Ghirahim asked patronizingly, knowing that seeing the pompous dragon knight loose so embarrassingly was about the only good part of this loss.

"You're deluded," Volga scoffed, looking over his injuries. "That boy isn't the Hero of the Skies that you know. He's not of this time at all; he's of mine, but that doesn't make him any less frustrating."

"_What?!" _Ghirahim spat, spinning on his heel to face the dragon knight as his eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that there is more than one hero? How incredibly annoying… Well, no matter. I'll crush this one just like I plan to crush that little sky child as well…"

"You will do no such thing," the dragon knight said, even though he very much wanted to do the same. "Mistress Cia demands that the hero is kept alive and in shape."

"Whatever for?" the demon lord asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"She lusts after him," Volga said with disgust. "So much so that she started a war simply to get him into her bed. Humans like her and that hero are such simple, loathsome creatures…"

"Hm… What shallow motives…" Ghirahim mused in equal distain. "But, if it's the hero that our mistress wants, then it's the hero she shall certainly get."

"And how do you intend on delivering him to her if neither of us are able to best him?" the dragon knight asked with doubt in his tone.

The demon lord's dark grinned widened as he set his sights upon the hero as he reveled in the allies victory along with his friends. "He's brought an army with him from your time, hasn't he?"

Volga nodded, not sure of where Ghirahim was going with this. "Yes, but most of them refuse to follow his command," the dragon knight said, knowing this information from the spies he had sent out during the battle. "He's far too young and fresh to garnish their respect, much less loyalty."

"Well then, that will only make things even easier!" the demon lord said with delight. "After all, it will certainly be much more fun to destroy all of them, including the hero, from the inside! Go back to your mistress and tell her that she'll have her hero…" Ghirahim let out a sinister chuckle as he held up his hand, clenching it into a tight fist as a glowing red aura surrounded it, his strange magic already starting to work. "She'll have her hero indeed…"

* * *

"You were amazing out there, Link!" Groose said heartily, giving the hero a firm pat on the back as the group of five headed for the allied base to tell the citizens of the town that it was all clear. In wake of Volga's defeat, all of the monsters had quickly vanished from Skyloft, leaving the island in the sky a bit battered, but safe nonetheless.

"You guys were all great too," Link said with a smile to all three of his allies. "After all, we all brought Volga down together, including you, Fi," he said to the sword spirit, who apparently seemed to be disjointed from the hero as she cast her cold glance up towards the skies above, as if she was detecting something up there.

"I take no credit for our success, Master," Fi said humbly, turning to Link as if nothing was wrong. "Our combined efforts were what won the day."

In the end, the four youths all agreed on this statement as they went on, engaging in friendly conversation the entire way, that is, until they entered into an empty keep on the way to the allied base. As the group walked through the keep, unaware of anything strange, the perceptive sword spirit was the first one to pick up on the sudden aura of evil that began radiating from a nearby source, though exactly what it was, she was unable to discern.

However, as the youths headed through the keep, the hero was the next one to feel something strange, only instead of sensing oncoming danger as Fi had, Link felt a sharp, sudden pain throb through his still injured shoulder instead. During the battle with Volga, he had largely forgotten about the knife still stabbed deep into his shoulder, unable to be removed through conventional means now as it suddenly caused a strange spike of pain to ripple through his entire body. The hero ignored for a moment or two, until he came to the entryway of the keep, which his allies had all already passed through. Unable to bear the agony any longer, Link was forced to lean against the side of the entryway, gripping his bleeding shoulder tightly as he tried to will the pain away the best he could, though he ultimately failed. The pain in his shoulder was only made worse by the sudden pounding headache that hit him, unlike any he had ever had before as he felt it begin to cloud his senses entirely.

Upon sensing that her master was not keeping up with the rest of the group, Fi was quick to spin around to see Link suffering behind her, and her concerned call was what alerted the rest of the group of his pain. "Master!" the sword spirit called out as she quickly glided over to him, Groose, Pipit, and Karane rushing after her.

"Link, are you all right?" Karane asked with concern as all three of them looked over his shoulder to see that it was starting to get an infection, just as Fi had wanted him of earlier.

The hero didn't answer however, as he placed a hand against his forehead, hoping to stop the jagged pain tearing through it. He shut his eyes tightly, wanting nothing more than for the spiraling anguish to end as it rippled through his entire body, until all at once it suddenly dimmed and his senses were filled with something else instead: a single, familiar beckoning voice speaking in his mind.

"_Come now, hero…" _the voice of the demon lord himself said softly to the hero, and as much as he wanted to drive it away, he found that he was unable to. _"Surrender… Join your forces and serve under me… I promise it won't be that bad…"_

Link cringed in pain once more as he shook his head, not entirely sure what was happening to him, though he had an idea that it had something to do with the demon lord's knife pulsating under his skin. "N-no…" the hero muttered in pain, desperate to fight off the dark influence Ghirahim was somehow pushing upon him. "I… I…"

"_Stubborn little hero…" _the demon lord said almost patronizingly. _"Always wanting to put up a fight, just like the sky child… Fine. If that's the way you want it, then I suppose you'll have to be punished."_

No more than a second after Ghirahim said this, Link let out a sharp cry of misery, much to the great worry of his allies as they tried to keep him upright, as well as conscious. None of them knew what was wrong with the hero, but they were all quick to gather that there was more to it than just his injury.

"_That's right, hero…" _Ghirahim said with a soft, triumphant chuckle as he felt the hero's consciousness begin to wane into his evil influence. Link could feel himself quickly slipping away and though he wasn't sure what he was fighting for, he could tell that he was losing. However, between both his injury as well as the spell that the demon lord had cast upon both the hero and all of his troops, he was simply too weak to fight it off any longer. With one final burst of pain, Link was rendered into the control of the enemy, though none of his allies knew it as he dangled unconsciously in their arms for what seemed like ages.

"_Yes… Good boy…" _the demon lord said to his new servant as he returned the hero's missing strength to him, though he had no control over it now. _"Now rise. Rise, and fight for me now, your new master!"_

The moment Ghirahim commanded this, Link's eyes suddenly opened and he immediately stood upright, his movements ridged and somewhat forced as he quickly pushed himself away from his confused, startled allies. However, when they all caught sight of the hero's eyes, they all instantly knew that something was gravely wrong. Not only were they unfocused and distant, they were also cold and dark, the slightest hint of blood red tainting otherwise light blue eyes as they were set in a malevolent glare straight ahead. But of course, what told Fi specifically that her master was lost to her were the words that he spoke seemingly out of nowhere, though they were in spoken to the demon lord, in a tone that was monotonous and lacked all of the life and benevolence that Link usually showed, a further sign that he had fallen into the enemy's hands: "What is your bidding, master?"

* * *

**PLOT TWIST! But yeah, this is certainly gonna make the next Skyloft chapter interesting, huh? But sorry to say we're actually taking a break from the action next chapter and devoting it to Cia! YAY! I can't freaking wait because Cia is my absolute favorite! :D But anyway, what did you guys think of Groose, Pipit, and Karane appearing in this chapter? Fi? Ghirahim? Lemme know! Also, its time for another question: What stage is your favorite in HW? Let me know in your REVIEWS! I'll keep it short this time, so Until next time!**


	14. The Guardian of Time

_Ok, so this one took a while, but I blame Majora's Mask 3D on that, since its been sucking away all of my free time... :) Anyway, I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter, as it allows us to dive into the mind of my personal favorite Zelda villain: Cia! Yay! But seriously, this chapter is super important for understanding her character, which is why I felt like it was a needed break from the main narrative. And so, before we begin..._

_**Guest**: Thanks a lot! I'm really glad you're enjoying it!_

**_Sigma73: _**_Yeah, I was going to put Scrapper in there, but I figured that the chapter was already too long and muddled down with side characters, so I just made it easier for me. And as for the Groosenator, it actually is going to already be there, since this takes place after SS, so Groose would have already built it. _

**_Guest (2): _**_I do love a good plot twist, don't I? As for another Link... we'll have to see! The Termina map is hard but super fun and Young Link is just ADORABLE! And as for you picture from W&amp;C, I absolutely LOVE it! :) You're a pretty good artist! :D_

_**PsycoFangirl**: Yeah, we're all pretty much screwed ;D_

_**Geoutlit**: Really glad you liked it! And I can't wait to write everyone meeting each other, since I have a lot planned for that chapter._

_**Arrowsheena**: Hahaha yeah I loved writing Ghirahim so... XD And actually, this chapter's not all that short, mostly because I gush over Cia, so you know :D As for you many questions, most of them will be answered in the next SS chapter, but its basically via magic, and also remember that Link doesn't have the Triforce of Courage anymore (since Cia stole it), so if that did protect him from such things, he doesn't have it. And as for the wound in his shoulder and the Great Fairy... yeah I suppose I kinda overlooked that... oops... :P_

_**oracleofspace**: I love Sheik too! She's awesome! :)_

_**GrayishGirl**: Cia is pretty funny, mostly cause she's a nut, but this chapter shows a rather tragic side of her. Groose is pretty awesome as well :D My favorite song in HW (and quite possibly my favorite piece of Zelda music ever) is Eclipse of the Moon. Its just so beautiful and epic and its like my ears explode from joy every time i hear it. :D_

_Ok, well with that outta the way, I suppose we can get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 13: The Guardian of Time_

_She would never be able to forget the first time she had ever seen him._

_It was a rather boring job at times, upholding the role of the Guardian of Time. Since it was a task that required complete purity of the mind and soul, she had to isolate herself away from the world, cutting all of her earthly ties so that she would not fall victim to them. She didn't mind it much though; after all, when the goddesses themselves call upon you, it is an honor and a privilege to be able to answer that call, no matter what the cost. However, even despite the honor her title came with, she had eventually grown restless in her pristine, sacred home. The hallowed halls of her palace were white and empty, nothing echoing through them but the sounds of lofty silence. The only presence that dwelled there other than her was the glorious golden relic itself, resting securely within the heart of the chamber._

_On the incredibly rare occasion that someone did happen to find their way through the Forbidden Forest to the Palace of Souls, her interest was always peaked to hear more of the outside world beyond her self-imposed prison. And yet, few ever gave her the answers she sought after. Those who happened upon her usually believed her to be either a witch who would place a dark enchantment upon them, a medium who could reconnect them to their dead loved ones, or a fortune teller who could read their fates. All who found her only sought their own gain and desires. And so, she reasoned, if the rest of the world was like that, cold and greedy, then there really was no point in leaving her perfect, untouched home after all._

_And really, why would she have ever needed to? She had everything she needed within the palace: a luxurious bed to sleep in, endless magic to conjure any kind of food she could ever ask for, a sturdy, towering roof over her head, and protection from the dangers that lurked in the Forbidden Forest. She had learned to occupy her empty hours with practicing her sorcery, as well as one of her favorite pastimes: gardening. Within the first few years of her vigil, the once-barren area surrounding the temple had blossomed into a lush, beautiful garden, overflowing with perfect, pure white roses of every size and shape. She enjoyed her work to no end and kept her plants alive dutifully, almost as dutifully as she kept watch over the Triforce._

_However, these were not the only pursuits she had available to her. The goddesses had not left her without some sort of payment for her watch over the golden relic, and so they had given her a magic relic: a crystal ball that granted its owner the ability to look into the past. _

_At first, she had been afraid to use the ball, wondering if this was some sort of test of her fortitude and purity from the goddesses. And yet, as time went on and her boredom grew, she began to grow curious as to what secrets might lie in the distant past. So, one day, she stepped up to the crystal ball, and, summoning her magic, she waved her hand across it, peering into the Hyrule of yesterday. _

_At first, she started small, only looking back over the past several years, seeing what the land was like beyond her small sphere. However, as time when on, she began to progress further and further backwards, dancing through the ages as if they were but mere minutes. Her eyes saw the lives of so many play out, most of them seeming to be rather worthless, meaningless existences that meant little in the grand scheme of things. She frowned as each one of them passed by, each of them but a mere blot of ink in the great book of life, each one as insignificant and unimportant as the last._

_That is, until she caught sight of him…_

* * *

Cia slammed the base of her elegant staff down brutally upon the tiled floor of the main chamber of the Palace of Souls, the sorceress's shriek of aggravation and fury echoing throughout the twisted building. Her mask put away for the moment, the black witch placed her fingertips against her temples, closing her eyes as she tried to coax away the headache she had just gotten. She paced back and forth with hasty steps, her heels clicking with each step as she avoided looking at the dragon knight bowed on one knee before her, his head hung low lest he set her off even more by meeting her furious gaze.

"You worthless fool!" Cia nearly screamed as she finally scowled down at Volga, who did not lift his gaze. "I gave you one task. One! And you fail in it completely! All you had to do was incapacitate the hero and bring him to me, but clearly you're so incompetent you couldn't even do that! If it hadn't been for Ghirahim's success in enslaving the hero and his forces, then I would have you skinned alive for this loss!"

"Mistress Cia, I am sorry, but that boy, he-" Volga began to explain himself, but Cia was quick to cut him off.

"Did I give you permission to speak?!" she hissed hatefully, coming to stop directly in front of him, glaring at him with hostility. "Know your place, dragon knight! You would be _nothing _without the power that I granted to you, and as easily as I gave it, I can take it away!"

Volga was silent upon hearing this, begrudging the black witch's authority over him, but he knew there was little he could do to free himself from it, lest he lose everything she had given him and more. And so, here merely took her verbal lashing, knowing that he was already in enough trouble as is.

Cia let out a long sigh as she allowed her staff to dissipate into thin air, crossing her arms as she seemed to finally calm down from her fit of rage. "You do not understand…" she said, both impatience and a hint of remorse. "Neither you nor Wizzro do. And how could you really? How can either of you fools comprehend how important it is that the Hylian forces fail in their missions of closing the Gates of Souls? Or how important it is that we keep our footholds in each era? Precision and success are everything now, and I will _not _have my victory or my prize ripped away from me because of such weakness."

A moment of boldness filled the dragon knight as he finally looked up at his mistress, a scowl burning in his eyes hidden under his helmet. "If you believe that you could do better, then why do you not simply go after the boy yourself?" he asked caustically, remembering the hero posing this very same question. However, no more than a mere moment after Volga posed this inquiry, he was met with the palm of Cia's hand brutally striking him across the face, an enraged screech coming with it.

"You _idiot!" _she practically screamed, her eyes nearly shining with rage. "How dare you question me! _I _am your mistress! You are held under _my _power! Never forget that, lest you fall to that very same power!"

Seeing that resisting the black witch's magic and control was a futile effort, the dragon knight simply bowed his head again, knowing that he was already on incredibly thin ice as is. Cia let out another sigh as she turned her back to him, tired of dealing with him and his disappointing failure. "Leave my presence," she said coldly. "Re-gather your strength and your forces, and do not return to me until you are ready to end the Hylian forces once and for all."

"…Yes, mistress…" Volga said humbly, even though he was still scowling as he rose and prepared to leave the chamber, and the palace entirely. However, before he could, the black witch called out to him one last time, though she still did not turn to him.

"Oh, and Volga?" Cia asked, her tone a bit softer, though there was still malice in it. "The next time you fail me will be your last. Remember that."

The dragon knight let out a heavy breath as he merely nodded, passing through the large doors and letting them rumble shut behind him, leaving the black witch all alone.

For the longest time, Cia simply stood stationary, her arms crossed and her gaze fixated on one thing alone: the large painting of the hero that hung on the wall in front of her. Though her expression was usually tender and longing as she looked upon the object of her affections, her eyes held both contempt and a hint of worry now. Skyloft had been reclaimed from her forces, as had Twilight Field and Death Mountain. Now, their sole remaining claims in the different eras were the Sealed Grounds, Lake Hylia, and the Twilight Realm. However, with the Hylian forces, or more specifically their leaders, still on the prowl, their chances now seemed to be up in the air. The black witch tried to take solace in the fact that Wizzro was already waiting within the Water Temple in the era of the Hero of Time, prepared to strike the two Sheikah women down as well as tarnish the princess's good name. In the Twilight Realm, Cia had ensured to place the usurper king in a position of power, so that he would be ready to deal with Lana and her newfound allies when they arrived. And then of course, there was the situation that both enraged and overjoyed the sorceress all at the same time upon the isle in the sky…

The very moment Ghirahim had reported that he had used his magic to trap the hero and all of his troops under his demonic control, Cia nearly let out a scream of happiness. She knew that once everything was said and done, then certainly the possessed hero would fall into her arms and be hers, just as she had always dreamed. And yet, much to her frustration, the demon lord had also stated that he was not quite finished in the era of the sky, meaning that the black witch would have to wait just a bit longer for her love. When Cia tried to question Ghirahim on his unplanned motives, he was quick to avert the question, arousing suspicion in the sorceress, though unlike she did to Volga, she did not throw any threat out to the demon lord, especially considering his triumph over the hero.

"**The lackeys you have chosen for yourself are worthless fools," **the deep, sinister voice that often spoke from inside her mind said with a scoff in its tone.

"I know," Cia said plainly, still frowning as she slowly drifted her gaze away from the hero.

"**Then why do you insist on keeping either of them around?" **the voice asked, clearly displeased. **"The demon lord and the usurper king have more experience in dealing with heroes in the past than the dragon knight and the dark wizard. Surely they would be better substitutes for your rabble team."**

"Because none of them matter now," she said vaguely. "And none of them will matter in the end. All that counts is me, the Triforce, and the hero. That's _all _this has ever been about."

The intrusive voice was silent for a long moment, as if it wanted to say more on the matter, before going off on a different tangent. **"And the princess?" **

Cia smirked darkly, finally glancing over at her crystal ball sitting in the corner of the chamber. "Contrary to what the Hyrulian forces are thinking, their dear princess isn't as missing as they believe her to be…" she said, her voice dripping with both satisfaction at her perception as well distain for the princess. "I've observed the flow of time enough to know that Zeldas have a particular penchant for upholding traditions, and this Zelda is no exception. But fret not; I have Wizzro in place to deal with her as well as her loyal guard, just as much as Zant is prepared to snuff Lana—I mean, the white sorceress out as well…"

The voice said nothing for another long moment, and Cia briefly believed that its presence had faded into the depths of her mind once again, before it spoke up yet again. **"If you do get your hands on the hero, force him to draw the blade of evil's bane,"** it said, its words urgent and authoritative. **"Only then can the final piece be freed, and only then can you have the absolute power I have promised you."**

"I believe you mean _when _I get my hands on him," the black witch said with confidence. "And what of the Master Sword? What does it have to do with anything?"

Her patron did not respond to this question as its dark influence lightened upon her soul a bit, leaving Cia to the silence of the Palace of Souls again. Though the sorceress wished that the voice that had been guiding her alone throughout her campaign was not as vague and succinct at times, she knew that trusting its counsel would lead to strength unimaginable.

For the moment, however, the black witch decided that, in the aftermath of dealing with Volga's failure and going over strategies, she deserved a much needed reprieve. And so, without so much as a flick of her wrist, the great doors of her illustrious chamber roared open, allowing Cia to venture out into the budding rose garden of her hidden home.

The garden was of a beauty that was beyond compare. A pristine fountain of pure water flowed before it, the trickling of the droplets into the pond creating a feeling of peace and tranquility, even despite the dark skies above. Twisted vines grew in almost artistic angles, curling around archways and walls gracefully. And upon these vines were thousands upon thousands of roses, some red, some blue, some white, some small enough to fit in the palm of a hand and some as large as a human head. They blossomed without a single flaw, all of them carefully cultivated by the sorceress's magic as they filled their area with an intoxicating aroma. But by far what the sorceress loved the most about her beautiful garden were the marble statues that lined nearly every corner of it.

Everywhere she looked, there he was. A tender smile graced her ruby lips as she slowly strolled through her garden, taking in each one of them. The Hero of the Skies, with the tip of his blade pointed high to the heavens, his handsome face frozen in a determined, gallant expression made her heart flutter with longing. Her eyes lingered upon him for a long moment, before she moved onto the next statue: the young Hero of Time. Though Cia delighted in the good looks of each hero as adults, she had decided to craft this statue into a much younger form, particularly, the young age at which the Hero of Time had begun his legendary journey. He was but a child, only about ten years old or so, his expression calm as he stood frozen with an ocarina poised against his lips to play. The black witch smiled at the effigy of the child, finding him as innocent and adorable as always before she moved onto the statue of the next hero, the Hero of Twilight. As opposed to his human form, the Hero of Twilight's statue was of him in the form of a proud, sacred beast, a wolf, which he had transformed into a number of times throughout his quest to restore light to Hyrule. He was poised for an attack, his back arched, his sharp teeth bared, and his eyes fierce and brave.

With a sigh of satisfaction, the sorceress continued to slowly move through her garden, her skirt flowing out behind her with each graceful step. Cia smiled contentedly as she closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like when she finally did have the real hero, one of flesh and blood instead of mere stone or paint, in her arms at long last. Within her flights of fancy, she pictured the two of them casually strolling through these very gardens hand-in-hand, conversing and laughing all the while. She pictured them embracing under the crimson roses, her curvaceous form folded into his strong, sturdy arms, his lips tickling her bare neck with tender kisses. And finally, she pictured their lips touching and remaining connected, their souls finally becoming one at long last.

She simply couldn't wait.

* * *

_It was a rainy day, storm clouds dominating the skies as lighting streaked across them occasionally. She knew that gardening was out of the question in such weather, and so she had taken to watching time, as had become a recent hobby of hers. She had seen a great deal through her crystal ball, though it was rare that anything of actual interest happened. Every now and then, she'd come across a great king or daring explorer, but for the most part, the souls she saw led dull, unexcitable lives. _

_With a bored sigh, she waved her hand over the glass ball, expecting to see the same endless round of pointless lives that she always saw. She knew that she was going further back into the history of the land, to the point that it had not even been given the name Hyrule yet. Eventually, she went so far back that she arrived to the era of the goddess Hylia, or rather the time immediately after it, when the humans lived in the sky rather than upon the earth. Despite their interesting home, she believed that, just as they were on the surface, their lives would be just as dull within the sky as well._

_Until she saw… him._

_Her hands suddenly froze above the crystal ball as her eyes landed upon a soul unlike she had any seen before. It felt as though it was composed of pure light as it filled her crystal, its radiance filling her chamber and its purity making her eyes grow wide. Even through her magic, she could sense that this soul was a strong one, perhaps even unbreakable. Her jaw dropped in awe as she stared at it, wanting to know more about it, wanting to see more than just its mere essence._

_With another wave of her hand, she commanded the crystal to project its image so that she could get a better look. She glanced up upon seeing that the image the crystal was showing was no longer a mere soul, but a young, Hylian man, his very image making her heart race. She had never beheld anyone who was as perfect in form and features as he was; he had fair skin, sharp features, honey golden, somewhat windblown hair, and a lean, steady build. He was clothed in a tunic and cap as green as the trees of the forest, a glimmering, newly-forged sword brandished in his hand as he stood firm, ready for battle. And yet, what caught her attention the most were his eyes: they were blue, but it was a kind of blue she had never seen before, deep yet light, almost reflecting the color of the skies that he lived in. They held both youthful innocence and steadfast resolve in them, things that combined to create pools of unending courage, something that showed in his every move, word, and action. _

_Unable to take her eyes off of him, she watched with rapt attention as he battled across the unknown terrain of the surface, tackling danger head on and triumphing over all manner of evil. She found her heart clenching with panic at each blow he took from the enemy, and yet, no matter how many times he faced certain death, he pressed on, never giving up until he had reached his journey's end._

_And so she watched him. And watched him. And watched him._

* * *

Finally, Cia's lap around the garden came to an end as she found herself back before the entrance to the main chamber again. She bit her lip a bit anxiously, knowing that it would still be quite a while until Wizzro or Volga returned, meaning that she thankfully had the palace all to herself. A coy smile crossed her features as she sauntered back into the chamber, turning a slow circle so she could see each of her paintings in full. Unlike the statues in the garden, these were all depictions of the same hero, the hero of the present instead of the past. The blue scarf was a constant feature in all of them, but Cia had made sure to have quite a bit of variation in her creations here. Many of the incredibly, almost eerily accurate paintings showed the hero in different angles and perspectives, some depicting him in the heart of battle, while others were close ups of his handsome face, his light blue eyes melting the sorceress to her core every time she met their gaze.

With slow, almost reverent steps, the black witch approached one of the paintings, one that was closer to the floor that was a rather formal profile of the hero, his expression set in a determined gaze to a fixed point somewhere beyond the wooden frame he was in. Cia stared deep into his eyes, as deep and as blue as the pure skies themselves, stirring up that same feeling that she had felt what seemed like so many years ago…

* * *

_She didn't know how long she had simply stood there watching him. It could have been hours. It could have been days. It could have even been years. She honestly didn't care as long as her eyes were transfixed on his, violet eyes set upon blue ones that never met her watchful gaze. _

_She observed wordlessly, her mind filled with so many thoughts and yet none at all. Eventually, she saw him encounter the source of the evil plaguing his world, the feared demon king himself. She drew in a nervous breath as they dueled, and yet her heart leapt with joy when he emerged from the battle victorious. And yet she did not stop watching him once his destiny was finished; she continued to follow him onto the rest of his life, her heart sinking as he married the girl he had traversed across the dangerous land to save. Despite her disappointment, she still watched as he helped to raise up the kingdom that would become Hyrule, defending it from any threats that might befall it and his growing family. Tears streamed down her face as she witnessed his final moments, even though they were peaceful ones, surrounded by his loved ones as he passed away from old age after a long and relatively happy life. _

_Her entire body was trembling as the light of his soul went out, fading off into death as all souls eventually did. She knew that she would never get to encounter him herself, since he had lived thousands of years ago, and was gone now, but a part of her wished that he could somehow encounter that soul again, so that she could know its perfect radiance and purity once more._

_She prepared to step away from her crystal ball, feeling somewhat empty and forlorn, however, mere seconds after she turned her back to it again, it radiated with light once more. With a surprised gasp, she turned to the ball to see the soul of the hero filling it again without the command of her magic. Confused, she stepped closer, drawn in by the shine of the soul as she used her magic to project it once again, expecting to see the Hero of the Skies again, but instead seeing someone entirely different._

* * *

The black witch gently traced her fingertips along the painted hero's strong jaw, her eyes still bearing into his longingly. She did not wear her usual cold grin or stoic expression her face, but instead a sad, solemn frown. Her heart ached simply looking at him, desire filling her as it always did. Cia knew that she was _so _close to getting everything she wanted, including him, but she still felt like she was worlds away. As much as the voice inside her head told her that the hero was to be her secondary goal after the Triforce and Hyrule, the sorceress knew that he would always be her main ambition. The Triforce was merely a means to an end when it came to winning the heart of the hero.

Taking in a deep breath, Cia turned and looked at all of the paintings of the hero once more, seeing that despite their varied gazes, all of their eyes were essentially directed towards her. The black witch bit her lip as she placed her hands over her heart, slowly taking them all in yet again. Her lips were trembling slightly, but she was quick to regain her composure as she stood firm, scanning all of the identical faces as she spoke in a voice that was little more than a whisper.

"Don't worry, my love," she said, her voice soft and tender, filled with compassion and affection. "You have fought so hard in so many lives. You have known so much pain and suffering. But no longer. I will free you… from your heavy burden… from that wretched princess… from your overwhelming destiny…"

* * *

_He was different now, and yet still very much the same. He was only a child in this life, short and stocky yet full of life, his cerulean eyes bright and innocent, his hair now sunshine gold instead of honey, and his verdant tunic and cap rustling in the wind as he ran across the wide open fields with a blue fairy at his side._

_At first, she was confused, wondering if it was truly possibly to be witnessing what she was seeing, and yet sure enough, this was the same exact soul she had seen during the era of the Sky. She knew that reincarnation was an incredibly rare occurrence, reserved for only the most special of souls in existence, but she should have guessed that his soul would know life once more, considering its strength and purity. All the same, it was amazing for her to think that she had watched him die an old man and now, hundreds of years later, he was but a child, sent out into the world on a quest bigger than he could ever imagine. _

_An affectionate smile played upon her lips as she watched the child hero, his youthfulness and childlike ways charming her to no end. However, when his quest took a turn for the worst and he was sealed away within the Sacred Realm of the Triforce for seven years, she still continued to diligently watch him alone, forgetting about the Hyrule he had left behind as she watched him gradually mature into an adult until he finally awakened._

_Her breath was admittedly taken away when she saw him return to the world. He was every bit as handsome as his predecessor, his eyes sharp and determined, the blade of evil's bane shining in his capable grip. And yet, she was able to sense the turmoil he was going through, which was far greater than that of his past life. He had been forced to go from child to adult almost instantly, thrown into a world of shadows and death that he was indirectly responsible for. Her heart was moved for him with each tear he shed, each sleepless night he suffered, each wound he received. She wanted nothing more than to go to his side and comfort him, to console him and show him the love he so desperately needed. And yet, she could not. She was bound by her position, by her station, by her rules. _

_Always watching, never interfering._

* * *

Cia was not surprised to find tears streaming down her cheeks as she whispered this promise to her hero, knowing that she would do everything in her power to fulfill it. While she wanted him all to herself, the black witch believed her motives to be not entirely selfish. A large part of what she was doing she did for the hero's benefit rather than her own.

Cia couldn't help but feel as though her and the hero were kindred spirits, both of them tethered to a duty that neither of them really asked for or wanted, but forced to adhere to it nonetheless. Perhaps it was out of empathy for his plight that she had made it to the point she was at. After all, no one deserved to be entrapped by the chains of destiny, especially not a soul so bright and vibrant. She couldn't wait to free him from it all, just as she had freed herself. Perhaps then he would see clearly; he would be able to see that the princess, much like the goddesses, only used him to further her own ends.

But Cia would never use him. She would never dream of doing such a thing. When he entered her grasp, she would treasure him, she would show him the love he deserved, she would make him the king he was always capable of being. And together, they would rule Hyrule side by side, finally free of destiny's cruel, oppressive hold once and for all.

* * *

_She watched with a rather disdainful frown as the princess sent him back to his youth. He had grown so much in his journey, to the point that he had finally matured into the adult he had physically grown to be. Sending him back would only damage him even more. The princess was a fool, she thought, for disregarding his countless sacrifices for her and her kingdom. And yet he allowed it, having no idea what was in store for him upon returning. _

_She watched with sadness as misery and torment filled the child's nightmares of the future he had left behind. She sympathized well with his feelings of restlessness, and watched with worry as he ventured off to hunt for his lost fairy companion, until he stumbled into a strange world that she did not recognize. For the most part, she was only allowed to view the souls of Hyrule, but when the young hero found himself in a place called Termina, she was permitted to view his adventure there, alongside a new fairy as they raced to stop the moon from plummeting into the land, as well as the demonic mask behind it. As would be expected, he succeeded and left this strange new land, continuing on his quest to find the fairy. He never found her._

_Tears rolled down her cheeks once more as she watched the rest of his life play out, one that was far less happy than his predecessor's. He returned to Hyrule, and while he tried to conjure a relationship up with the princess, he found that she simply was not the same one from the future he had saved, the one he had fallen in love with. Many other young women argued for his attention, but none could satisfy his broken heart. She felt his pain well as she realized, just as much as he did, that it seemed like everyone who had been important to him left him. And if she could have, she would have gone to his side to be with him, to love him and to let him know that he was loved. _

_But all she could do was watch as he turned to shallow vices to ease his agony, such as drinking and loveless relationships. The vibrancy of his once golden soul seemed dimmer somehow, something that she took notice of as she watched him fall deeper and deeper into depression and despair with each passing day. Eventually, he gave up on looking for love entirely, opting to be sullen and alone for the rest of his life, something that she could certainly relate to._

_He met his end on the battlefield, not nearly as old as his past life had been at his death, but still well on in years. Her heart broke for the Hero of Time, who had started his life with such hope and innocence, only to have it end with grief and regrets that would linger on into the next age._

* * *

Cia continued to look up at the unmoving face of the hero in the painting, her expression no longer grieved, but bitter instead. She understood well that one of the many driving forces in the hero's continual destiny was that princess, who, just like him, managed to appear in each of his lives without fail. The black witch wished there was just one life of the hero's that the princess was bereft from, but she was always there, always with him.

And he always chose her.

Cia didn't understand why; she never had, even after watching all of his lives. The Hero of the Skies was the only one she somewhat understood, since him and the goddess Hylia had been childhood friends, but even still, she had manipulated him to her own ends, placing his life in great danger. The Hero of Time, she certainly didn't understand, since the princess had returned his hard earned victory by returning him to a time that he didn't really belong in, then refusing to return his love for the sake of her own royalty. The Hero of Twilight however, had always seemed to have his affections split between the princess of Hyrule and the princess of Twilight, but in the end, he had gotten neither of them, much to his grief and remorse.

The sorceress couldn't help but wonder what would have become of the hero of her own time if she had not interfered. Would he have fallen into the same trap, captured by the false affections of the princess and led astray by feelings that were never truly his to begin with? Or would he have been the one to finally find clarity, to finally see the light and realize that he could do so much better than her?

Cia shook her head, her scowl deepening as her thirst for the princess's blood grew even more. The black witch knew that the moment she removed the princess from the equation, then she would finally have her chance at the hero without any distractions or disruptions. Without that meddling princess, her beloved hero would _finally _be all hers, and no one else's.

* * *

_His next life began peacefully enough, tucked away in the lush southern forests of the land. She was glad to see that the heavy scars of his past life had not been passed down to his successor, for he was still as strong and resilient as ever. By the time his destiny fell upon him, he was perhaps the most appealing of all his incarnations thus far, tall and strong, with blonde hair so dark it was almost brown and blue eyes so dark they were like the depths of the ocean. And yet, she could sense a certain ferocity in them unlike she had ever seen in his past lives, a hidden pride and power in them that made her feel weak and excited all at once. _

_Twilight settled upon the land and in its wake, he was transformed into a sacred beast. She watched him in the shadows of the light, as he traveled with his impish companion, freeing the world from the darkness covering it and reverting to his true form, evergreen tunic and all. _

_However, just like his past lives, he did not go without his trials. For as much blood was on his hands, he spilt even more, brutally beaten to near death on several occasions. The worst of it by far was his deciding battle with the king of thieves, in which he had only won by the providence of the gods themselves before he nearly succumbed to his wounds. _

_With great pity, she watched his immense grief as his companion, the Twilight Princess herself, left him, shattering the gateway between their worlds. The Hylian princess had tried to console him by forming a bond with him, but she merely rolled her eyes, knowing that the princess would be able to do little to heal his broken soul. The emptiness he felt in this life hearkened back to his last one, reminding her that these heroes were not their scars, scars that ran deeper perhaps than those of any other. _

_The remainder of the Hero of Twilight's life was heartbreakingly short. As war began to erupt across the kingdom once more, about only five or so years after the Twilight Invasion, he had leapt into action once more. She watched with confidence at first, as he fought bravely, though his broken heart still shined through with each swing of his sword. However, he could do nothing, and neither could she, as he was unexpectedly ran through by the enemy's blade. The princess and her healers tried to do all they could to save him, but it had been too late, something she knew all too well as she mourned for him. Burdened by his pain and loss, he had simply lost the will to live._

* * *

The black witch was half tempted to look through her treasured crystal ball once more to behold her beloved hero as he remained trapped under the demon lord's spell in the Era of the Sky, she refrained, knowing that he would be with her soon enough. And yet… she still couldn't help but feel lonely. The Palace of Souls was a large, lofty structure, one that had always seemed like an empty place to her, but with the presence of mere statues and paintings of the hero, it somehow seemed even moreso. Cia frowned as she held her arm out, summoning her staff once more as the crystal on the end of it began to glow a dark color.

The sorceress had always found herself to be quite creative, something that her roses and paintings were certainly a testament to. But now, she wanted to create something that was more than just a lifeless effigy that could not return her gestures. She wanted something that moved, something that felt, something alive.

Cia pointed the end of her scepter to the empty space in front of her, concentrating her magic on forming a being she knew the appearance of so very well. She had every detail about him memorized, from his height to the style of his tunic to the shape of his every feature. A soft smile crossed her lips as he began to take shape before her, the shadowing coming together to create a near-perfect image of the hero. Everything about him was accurate, save for the fact that his entire form was devoid of all color save for dark black, and that his eyes were as blood red as the black witch's prized roses. He stood before her unmoving, his expression blank and empty, as was expected of a being of shadow.

Cia smiled in satisfaction as she circled him, taking in his appearance and imaging that he truly was her beloved hero instead of a mere copy of him. "Yes…" she purred, gently running her hand along his cold shoulder. He didn't flinch or make so much as a single move as she touched him, her fingers moving from his shoulder to his neck as she slowly traced up towards his face. "My hero… My love…"

* * *

_The dark thoughts only began when she saw the hero of her own time for the first time._

_What immediately struck her about him was his rather brutal, dark past. Like all of his predecessors, he had been orphaned at a young age, but unlike them, he had been old enough to both remember it and to have been there. The blood of his family had been spilt right before him, something that moved her greatly as his past played out before her. She could tell at that moment a large piece of his innocence had been ripped away from him, and for some reason she was glad for that. Perhaps it meant that his heart would not have to be tortured as much as it had been before. _

_Since she could only view the past, his story ended for her as he reached the apex of young adulthood, before whatever destiny he was called forth for was set into motion. And as she realized this, she also realized something else: he had not yet been tainted by the princess's so called "love". _

_And it was as this thought occurred to her, after having spent what felt like forever observing all of his lives, all of his struggles, all of his triumphs, a sudden thought passed through her mind, one that soon began to consume her entirely._

"_**He should love you, not her…"**_

* * *

By now, Cia had positioned herself in front of the dark hero, his bright red eyes still empty and emotionless, but the sorceress didn't really care. She gave him a dark, flirtatious grin as she moved her face in close to his, to the point that their foreheads were touching. "Hello, _darling_…" she whispered sensually, stroking the side of his ebony face. "So glad to see you've finally decided to be with someone who truly loves you…"

The black witch knew that pretending was immature and foolish, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to make sure the moment she finally had the real hero in her arms would be nothing less than absolutely perfect. "I've been watching you for _so _long now, Link…" she said softly, her smile still soft and easy. "You might even say you're my favorite pastime…"

She let out a coy laugh, not waiting for a response from the shadow for she knew he wouldn't give her one. And so instead, the black witch slowly wrapped her arms around his strong form, pulling herself close to him. "Hold me…" she whispered to the dark hero, who dutifully followed the command of his creator as he wrapped his black arms around her slender waist somewhat loosely. His touch was rather cold, but Cia resisted the urge to flinch under it, especially since she was the dominant one here.

"Link…" the black witch whispered longingly. "You don't understand how long I've waited for this… How long I've watched you… How long I've waited for you… How long I've loved you…"

* * *

"_**You are the powerful Guardian of Time! You deserve to have everything you desire, including the soul of the hero you are so fascinated with."**_

"_B-but… but I…" she stammered, speaking to no one but the voice that had been speaking inside her mind for the past several weeks._

_The voice picked up on her trepidation and continued to goad her, as if it was trying to urge her into something that she really wasn't sure she wanted any parts of. __**"Your love for him is so much stronger than the love she has for him…" **__it said darkly, obviously referring to the princess. __**"Don't you think he deserves that love? That BOTH of you deserve that love?"**_

"_I… I don't… I…" she trailed off apprehensively, shaking her head as if to clear it as she backed away from her crystal ball slowly, feeling strangely weak. _

"_**You have seen his every life…" **__the voice continued. __**"You know him better than anyone else could. You have felt his pain and sorrows. You know his every secret. And yet, he knows absolutely nothing of you. Wouldn't you like to free him from his destiny, from his burden, and have him with you forever?"**_

_Her eyes grew wide at this, her soul feeling as though it was being tugged in two completely opposite directions. It was true she had grown to have feelings for him, perhaps even love him, but to break the cycle of destiny for the sake of her own whims? It was something that the goddesses had forbidden of her, and she knew that she could not do it._

"_**Do you really want to spend the rest of you days here alone? Always watching, never interfering as you continue to watch him from worlds away?" **__the voice asked, as if it was reading her mind. __**"You have kept your watch for so long, you have been away from the world for so many years, and for what? To protect a golden relic that cannot go anywhere on its own?"**_

"_N-no…" she said, her voice frail and shaky as she watched the shadows filling her pristine home begin to darken. "I… I must protect the Triforce… I… I have to…"_

_She trailed off once more, her eyes catching sight of the crystal ball once more as her heart pounded in her chest. __**"The hero should be yours…" **__the voice went on, and she had gotten to the point that she no longer questioned where it came from. __**"Every piece of him should belong to you: his heart, his mind, his soul… And you know you have the power to claim him. The power to rip him away from that wretched princess once and for all. The power to show him who he's truly meant to be with…"**_

_Her trembling breath evened as she closed her eyes, taking in these words. It was true. She did have the power to take anything she wanted, including the hero. She had always had the power to take him, to make him hers. All she had to do was put it to use. _

_She never had gotten what she wanted throughout her entire life. Her whole existence had been dedicated to the will of the goddesses and their precious Triforce. She had never thought twice about it either, until she first saw him. He had somehow opened her eyes to see that there was more; there was more to life than just sitting and watching. There was excitement and adventure, battles to be waged and victories to be won. His courage inspired her, his kindness warmed her, his determination invigorated her. She craved him, she desired him, she wanted him, more than anything else in the entire world. _

_And she would do anything to make him her own._

_Suddenly, she felt as though something had been ripped from her all at once: her treasured purity, perhaps, or maybe even her benevolence, her light. But none of that mattered now. Because all she knew now was desire, passion, desperation, and lust. _

_When she opened her eyes once more, the slightest hint of dark red had begun to taint them._

* * *

Cia's movements had become suddenly aggressive, but the shadow had taken no notice as she brutally shoved him against the nearest wall, licking her lips as she drew her face in close to his. She had him pinned down, not that he would have tried to break free from her grip in the first place, but she wanted to restrain him entirely, so that he could not move an inch as she pressed her lips against his neck, letting out shuddering sighs as she moved them up and down upon his shadowy skin.

"Mm…" she moaned softly, moving her fingertips up and down his chest gracefully, her lips skimming his cheek now. "Yes… my hero… touch me…"

The dark hero did as he was told and steadily moved his hands up, though the sorceress was quick to grip his wrists and move them so that his hands were upon her breasts. She let out a small squeal of sensual delight as she pressed herself harder against him, closing her eyes as she pictured the real hero doing the very same. "My love…" she cooed, her entire body trembling with excitement now. "Kiss me…"

The shadow followed her command once more, allowing Cia to place her lips against his awaiting ones, her mind instantly going blank as their kiss steadily deepened. Their tongues wrestled in a dance for dominance, and all the while the black witch continued to press against the shadow aggressively, her mind practically screaming for more. He was hers and hers alone. He belonged to her, she was doing this all for him. She would impress him, show him her power, her might. And he would fall into her arms willingly, where he would stay forevermore.

* * *

_Her magic flowed through the palace, the purity and blandness of its halls no longer appeasing to her. She stood within the central chamber, a cold smile on her ruby lips as she glanced down at the chaste white robes she always clad herself in and frowned, realizing that they were hardly befitting a powerful sorceress such as herself._

"_These will be the first thing to go," she scoffed to herself, her tone far more haughty than it had ever been before. She held out her hand as a dark glow formed around it; her mind called forth a weapon so that she could stand tall and proud at the head of her armies in her conquest. Her magic converged to create an elegant staff, something that she would easily be able to channel her power through. No more than a moment after the scepter was brought into existence, she waved it over herself, watching with excitement as her pure robes faded into much more revealing attire. She had never been one to be vain in her own appearance before, but when she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but grin at how absolutely beautiful… no, not beautiful. Beautiful was far too simple. She was… sexy. She was sexy, and alluring, and seductive, and irresistible. The hero would have no choice but to fall for her the very moment he saw her. _

_With a wicked laugh, she raised her staff into the air, allowing her magic to spiral throughout the palace in heavy waves. She allowed the once-pure place to twist and rearrange itself in order to meet her new desires and interested. The flawless white roses that she had toiled over for so many years were painted blood red, the skies above going from a pale blue to a constant stormy shade. The palace itself became fractured, half of it keeping its pristine marble surface while other parts of it became corrupted and dark to match the darkened heart of its sole inhabitant. But by far what she was most proud of were the statues and the paintings, each of them bearing homage to the soul of the hero she had become completely infatuated with._

_She took a stroll around the palace once her work was completed, taking pride in her artistry and handiwork. The palace now seemed like a much more suitable place for her to bring her beloved back to once she found him. A place to begin her great empire._

"_Soon, my darling…" she said with a loving smile as she stroked one of the paintings of the hero of her era tenderly, already thinking through her next move to find a general to lead her forces. "Soon… You will be with me at long last…"_

* * *

The kiss went on for what seemed like ages, Cia holding onto the shadowy hero tightly all the while as her heart pounded against her chest. However, after a while, the black witch finally broke away from him, her eyes still closed for a long moment as she lingered close to him, a contented expression on her face.

"Oh… Link… I-" she suddenly stopped short in her happy whisper when she finally opened her eyes once more, expecting to look into deep pools of sky blue.

Instead, she saw only empty red.

The sorceress looked at the shadow before her, her face twisting into an expression disgust. "Get away from me!" she suddenly shouted, roughly spinning them both away from the wall before she pushed him away. "You are _not _my hero!"

Her fists were shaking in rage as she realized she had merely been deluding herself. The shadow she had created had only ever been just that: a shadow, and nothing more. He did not feel or know anything other than what his mistress told him. He could not speak, he could not think, he could not love. He was the furthest thing from the hero, whose soul seemed to be composed of pure light itself, he could be.

And Cia hated it. She hated all of it. She hated the fact that the closest thing she could get at the moment as nothing more than a worthless shadow. She hated the princess that somehow managed to steal him away in each life. She hated that he was still just out of her reach.

She hated being so alone.

"Begone!" the black witch nearly screamed in fury at the dark hero, unable to bear looking at him any longer. "Leave my presence, you wretched shadow! You're not him! You never will be him!"

The dark hero did nothing at all, unsure of how to act upon this command, and so Cia enacted it for him. With another enraged shout, she thrust her scepter out towards him, sending a burst of dark magic flying right at him. The magic struck the shadow brutally, ripping him apart almost instantly before he faded into nothingness altogether. The black witch breathed heavily in the aftermath of the destruction of her own creation, wishing that she had never made him in the first place now. After all, there was but one thing that could fill the heavy hole in her heart now.

And yet, as the dark hero faded away, a sudden thought occurred to Cia. She knew well that when Ghirahim finally did return with the real, albeit mind-controlled hero, he would be essentially the same as his dark counterpart: an cold, emotionless husk, only following her every command without any of the vibrancy or life that she had come to love his soul for.

That was the last thing the sorceress wanted, for she knew there was no point to even having him if he was going to be like that. And yet, the hero had already been preconditioned by his allies to oppose her and support the princess, something that Cia reviled completely. And yet, this didn't mean that she was entirely out of options. After all, the black witch had once prided herself on her pure heart and perfect morality, and yet she had thrown those things away for something much more worthwhile: power. And certainly, for as pure and as perfect as her hero's beautiful soul was, it wasn't entirely without darkness all its own.

Her eyes lit up as the idea began to blossom in her mind. If there was anything she had taken careful notice of in all of her heroes, it was their specific flaws. For the Hero of the Skies, it had been his recklessness, for the Hero of Time, his remorse, and for the Hero of Twilight, his temper. All she needed to do was find the flaw of the hero of her own time, exploit it, and the darkness of his heart would certainly follow.

"Then maybe you'll finally understand, Link…" Cia said, her dark grin returning as she looked to her prized paintings of the hero once more. "You will finally see Zelda for the worthless tramp she is. You will finally understand how destiny has wronged you…" The black witch let out a long sigh as she placed her hand against the side of his face, her soul counting down the hours until she could do so to him in flesh and blood, until she could finally touch him, finally kiss him, finally _be _with him. "You will finally be where you belong… with me…"

* * *

**Well, that was a fun little excersise for me to write, mostly because Cia is such a great character. And believe me when I say I've only scratched the surface with her, since they will be a lot more of her before its all said and done! But for next time, I think we'll plunge right back into things with the second half of the eras arc, catching up with Lana, Midna, and Agitha as they venture into the Twilight Realm to encounter the king of crazy himself: Zant. Oh boy... But for now, I'd like to leave another question for you all: What is your favorite song from Hyrule Warriors? Mine is Eclipse of the Moon of course, for its sheer beauty, drama, power and emotion that it makes me feel every time I listen to it. As you can imagine, I listened to it quite a bit while writing this chapter, as I see it as something of Cia's theme, especially during her last stand. But anyway, that's it for now. Don't forget to continue showing your love through REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	15. Remnant of Twilight

_Ok, so this really took quite a while to get out here because of a mess of troubles on my part: my laptop crashed (go figure, so I wrote this entire chapter on my iPad), and since I'm home on spring break I don't really have an internet connection. Also writer's block T_T Anyway, here comes the end of the Twilight arc as I like to call it, so I hope you all enjoy it (because we get Zant in this chapter, so you know). Anyway, lets get to the guest reviews!_

_Sigma73: Yeah, I get what you mean, but I didn't want to make this chapter too long, so it just starts with them arriving in th__e Twilight Realm. I do have plans for Morpha though instead of Dodongo, mostly cause I don't like to rehash things like that. :/_

_Chad B: Thanks! And yeah it was interesting to explore their lives after their missions. _

_Arrowsheena: Indeed. I'm not going to make this M, mostly because I'm pretty classy about things like this I'd like to think. But yeah, Cia is Cia, Volga is sympathetic, and Zant is certainly crazy, as this chapter will show!_

_PsycoFangirl: Indeed! Everyone be on the cray cray train! ANd yes, Zant madness is here!_

_GrayishGirl: Yes it was... And oh yeah, we're getting Midna and Agitha in here, so things will certainly be interesting!_

_Ok, well with all that out of the way, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 14: Remnant of Twilight_

The Goddess Butterfly had led them to the Twilight Realm.

It was a place unlike any of them had ever seen before, save for Midna, who was its sovereign. Lana had only seen small glimpses of it from gazing at it in the flow of time, but even then she had never seen it up close. As for Agitha, the Resistance, and the Hylian soldiers, the so-called realm of shadows was an entirely new sight.

Instead of blue, the skies of the Twilight Realm were a wide array of contrasting pigments and shades of violet, pink, gold, black, and orange, reminiscent of the colors of a Hyrulian dusk sky. Flecks of dark Twilight rained gently through the air, their substance weightless and without physical form. The air itself felt calm and still in a way that was both comforting and unnerving, for no winds blew in the Twilight Realm at all. The land of the realm itself was suspended in this eternal dusk upon stone outcroppings, many of which were connected via bridges and platforms. It was clear that the group, upon stepping through the temporary Mirror of Twilight that Midna had created, that they were in the heart of the Twilight Realm itself, the home of its royal family and the seat of its government, the Palace of Twilight. Its architecture was formal and unglamorous, rising high into the ever changing sky as its varying buildings gave of an air of power and foreboding. And, what only made this eerie feeling worse were the unnatural cries of monsters echoing through the courtyards, the clatter of beasts invading upon a place in which they did not belong.

The Hyrulian forces only had but a few moments to take in the drastic change of their surroundings before the Twilight Princess herself glided to the front of the pack, a look of dismay written all over her face as she took in the damage done to her domain. Midna had been present for the first battle that had been waged here but a few days ago, in which Cia had ripped not only her famed beauty, but her throne from her all in one fell swoop. And in that battle, many of her dear people, people she was sworn to protect, had fallen. Those who had survived were left to an uncertain fate, one that the Twilight Princess could only hope had been merciful. Since then however, her home had been battered brutally by the dark forces roosted away inside of it; parts of the newly-renovated palace were crumbling, and even the serene beauty of the place seemed to be diminished by the darkness flowing throughout the area. Midna let out a sorrowful sigh as she saw it, knowing that even if Cia had been the instigator of all this destruction, the Twilight Princess was the one to blame for letting it go so far. In all her rage towards the black witch for cursing her once more, Midna had chased her into the world of light, completely setting the plight of her already doomed world aside for revenge instead. But now, the Twilight Princess knew that she could not let her kingdom down again, especially not after the first time she had abandoned it. And so, Midna let out along sigh, clenching her tiny fists at her sides as she mentally prepared herself for the battle ahead.

The fight for the Twilight Realm was about to begin.

"Alright, listen up, everyone!" Midna said authoritatively as she spun around to face the entire legion behind her. Fortunately, Lana had managed to make peace between the Twilight Princess and the rest of her allies, and so the transition of trust had not been so awkward, especially as the group had gotten to know each other a little better during their trek to the Twilight Realm. "I know for certain the Gate of Souls is in the throne room near the back of the palace."

"She's right!" Agitha confirmed cheerfully, grinning at the Goddess Butterfly flittering above her palm. "Li'l Butterfly really wants to head that way!"

"Good," Lana said with a confident nod. "The sooner we close the Gate of Souls, the sooner things will go back to normal."

"And the sooner my realm will be free from all these pests!" Midna said, her tone disgruntled as she crossed her arms.

"Looks like that will be easier said than done," Telma cut in as her and the rest of the Resistance joined the conversation. "I'll bet my bottom Rupee that there's a whole mess of monsters holed up in there."

"Eh, they'll be no match for all of us, yeah?" Ashei said with a sly grin, her hand already on the hilt of her blade sheathed at her side.

"I'd say that all of us combined makes a pretty formidable team," Auru said, thoughtfully stroking his beard.

"As long as we go into this fight believing we can win, then we will," Rusl said with a smile and a nod of agreement with the sentiments of his friends.

"There is only one small predicament though…" Shad interjected with a frown. "This palace looks absolutely labyrinthine. Wherever are we even supposed to start?"

"There's no need to worry about that," Midna said, finally grinning as she glanced out at the Palace of Twilight. "This place is my home; I was born and raised here, and I've been running around these halls ever since I was little. I know this palace inside and out."

"Then maybe you should lead the way, Midna," Lana suggested, knowing that the Twilight Princess's inside knowledge would prove to be useful in their strike. "You did see the Gate of Souls firsthand, after all."

"Lead the way, huh?" Midna said with a clever grin. "I guess I could take charge… I mean, I do have great leadership experience... Ok, then! First things first; we need a solid base, preferably somewhere out here in the courtyard."

"There's an empty keep over there, yeah?" Ashei pointed out a keep not far to the northeast of their current location.

"Good," the Twilight Princess said with a nod. "Can you all secure it?" she asked the members of the Resistance, all of whom nodded in agreement and, with a few of Lana's soldiers, they quickly got to work setting up their allied base.

"Ok, what's next?" the white sorceress asked their commander, who seemed to be scanning over the Twilight Realm preceptively.

"I'll bet anything the way to the Gate of Souls is closed up tight," Midna said. "So, for now, I guess the only thing we can do is try to thin their forces out a little bit. Advance to the east first, and we'll work on capturing the enemy outposts there."

"Sounds good," Lana agreed, holding her Book of Sorcery close as she prepared to fight.

"I won't let you down, Miss Kitty!" Agitha chirped brightly, spinning her parasol in her hands as both Lana and Midna paused to glance at her with slightly concerned frowns.

"Uh… why don't you stay near the base, bug girl?" the Twilight Princess asked rather condescendingly, not wanting a wild card like the insect princess to ruin her precise strike.

Agitha frowned upon hearing this, her lips curling into a small pout. "But… I wanna come and play with you all!" she protested. "My insect friends and I won't slow you down, I promise!"

Midna was about to tell the insect princess no once more, but this time, Lana was quick to cut in. "Of course you can come, Agitha," she said with a kind smile. "Just stick close to me and Midna, ok?"

"Ok!" Agitha said with a wide grin, already skipping ahead along the path towards the palace.

"Are you crazy?" Midna scoffed as she floated alongside Lana, her tone unimpressed as she scowled between the white sorceress and the insect princess. "That kid's gonna get herself killed out here!"

"She managed to do just fine against you," Lana said with a sheepish shrug, knowing that it was a rather low blow, but a needed one nonetheless.

"That was totally different!" the Twilight Princess argued. "I was going easy on both of you guys. None of these monsters here will show any such mercy, especially considering… their leader…"

"Their leader?" the white sorceress said in sudden alarm. "You know who's in charge of these forces?"

Midna bit her lip apprehensively. "Know is a… strong word…" she said elusively. "Let's just say he's an old… rival…"

Lana frowned in confusion as she tried to press for more information. "What do you-"

Before the white sorceress could finish however, she was suddenly cut off by a loud, wild shriek echoing across the palace grounds. The Twilight Princess scowled upon hearing it, instantly recognizing its sound. "Speak of the devil…" she muttered to herself bitterly.

"What was that?" Lana asked as she looked around for the source of the strange screech, something that Agitha had stopped to do as well. And, mere seconds later, her question was answered as a dark voice sounded out from behind them.

"I see you have come crawling back like the worm you are, Midna," the figure who had appeared behind the trio said menacingly. Lana, Midna, and Agitha all turned around to see a towering, imposing figure, a man, the white sorceress supposed based on his rather deep voice. He wore long black robes that concealed his entire form, including his hands, teal Twili markings lining them. A crimson tabard hung from his ornate, metallic shoulder mantel, which matched the strange, pointed helmet over his head perfectly. Though Lana and Agitha were taken aback by his sudden, disturbing appearance, Midna only scowled crossly at him, her fists shaking with rage as her hair coiled behind her in preparation for battle.

"And I see you brought some little friends with you, haven't you?" the man said, his tone dark and sadistic. "No matter. I'll crush you all like the insects you are!"

"Oh my!" Agitha exclaimed in horror. "Who would ever want to crush a darling little insect!?

The Twilight Princess ignored the insect princess's statement as she sent an angry retort flying back at their foe. "The only one who's going to be crushed is you, Zant!" she exclaimed hotly. "Of course, it only makes sense that the witch would leave a traitor like you in charge of protecting the Gate of Souls!"

"So… that's why you returned, hm?" the usurper king of the Twilight Realm asked with a mocking laugh. "Well, you will never get near it so long as my mistress demands its safekeeping of me! I will entomb all of you before you even come close! May the Twilight scatter my foes!" Zant's wicked laugher took on a hint of insanity as he disappeared in a cascade of Twilit flecks, most likely returning to his station before the Gate of Souls.

Midna growled in fury as she watched Zant flee, but Lana merely stood by in confusion, wondering exactly what the nature of the relationship between the two of them was. "Midna," the white sorceress began. "Are you friends with that… eccentric person in the freaky mask?"

"Friends?!" Midna scoffed bitterly. "Don't make me laugh! That was Zant, the traitor who stole my throne in the Twilight Realm! I got rid of him once before, but I guess Cia did something to bring him back somehow, because sure enough, here he is calling my realm his own once again!"

"So, he's the one in charge then?" Lana asked.

"I'm sure of it," Midna confirmed. "We have to take him down! It's the only way we'll make it to the Gate of Souls!"

"Then let's do it!" Agitha piped up, her expression determined and ready. "As long as I remain standing, I will not let that terrible ant man to harm any of my dear insects!"

"Oh brother…" the Twilight Princess said, rolling her eyes. But nonetheless, the trio got to work in liberating the Twilight Realm, throwing themselves into the fray against the vast hordes of aeralfos and bulbins. Just as the case had been in the field, Lana made quick work of the monsters using her magical barriers and quickly cast spells while Midna conjured her Twilit wolf up to plow through the beasts brutally, using her prehensile hair to aid in cutting them down. And though the two older women were solely focused on their fight, the insect princess battled in a much more archaic and carefree style, skipping daintily through the enemy forces and calling upon butterflies, beetles, and bees to spiral through the attacking hordes. Though it completely bewildered the Twilight Princess and the white sorceress, Agitha somehow managed to absentmindedly make her way through the enemy lines and into the eastern keep first, all without so much as a single scratch.

"I have to learn what her secret is…" Midna muttered to Lana as they stepped into the keep, the Twilight Princess gingerly covering a small cut that had been torn across her leg.

"I guess its like they say," Lana said with a small giggle as Agitha continued to fight playfully. "Ignorance is bliss.

Capturing the keep was rather simple work. With their abilities combined, the two princesses and the sorceress secured the area without complications. "All right," the Twilight Princess said as the trio regrouped in the center of the keep. "One keep down. The way I see it, if we take an entire side of the palace, Zant's bound to open up the enemy base in order to defend the rest of them. Can you two handle capturing the other keep to the north? I'm going to go check on our base to make sure its well fortified."

"Of course," Lana said with a nod.

"Aye aye, Miss Kitty!" Agitha said with a childish giggle.

"How many times do I have to say it: I'm not a cat!" Midna said with a scowl, before she commanded her wolf to head southward. "Good luck, you two!"

After bidding the Twilight Princess farewell, the white sorceress and the insect princess began to press on to the north with the intention of taking the nearest keep. The monstrous hordes were thicker in that area, but neither of them were deterred as they cut through them, hopefully getting ever closer to their ultimate goal.

Meanwhile, Midna steadily made her way back to the allied base, running into the occasional monster every now and and then, though it was nothing she couldn't handle. And, soon enough she had made her way back to the base, which was being dutifully guarded by the Resistance.

"So?" the Twilight Princess asked the group as she entered into the keep. "How are things going down here?"

"Its been smooth sailing," Rusl said with a relaxed grin. "Nothing has even tried to attack us once."

"Its almost kind of boring around here, yeah?" Ashei asked with a casual yawn. "Makes you wish there was a little action to liven things up…"

"I say, Ashei!" Shad exclaimed apprehensively, shaking his head. "Don't wish such a thing upon us! Our foes might hear you!"

"Like I'm afraid of any of them," the young woman said with a shrug as she drew her blade and ran her hand along the dull edge.

"Regardless, its clear that if things continue as they are, this battle will be easily won," Auru said.

"Knowing Zant, I highly doubt that," Midna said with a sigh. "In fact, I bet he's-"

Before the Twilight Princess could even finish her statement, a sudden crash sounded out across the entire area, followed by the sound of Zant's voice, though in a much higher pitch than before. "None shall set foot near the Gate of Souls!" he screamed shrilly, startling nearly everyone. "The Twilight King commands it!"

No more than a second later, a great shadow appeared in the dusky skies of the Twilight Realm, one that soon materialized into a beast that caught everyone by surprise. It was a massive dragon, with a dark black, scaly body held up by wide scarlet wings. Its tail was long and serpent-like, bearing a metallic hook at the end of it. The Twilit monster hovered high above the ground over a keep not too far away from the allied base, its sights set upon it as it prepared its first attack.

"What is that thing?!" Telma exclaimed in shock as the members of the Resistance all moved forward a bit to take it on.

"Argarok…" Midna muttered as she glared up at the dragon, remembering it from another encounter. "A Twilit dragon. Zant must have summoned it. Say what you want, but he knows his magic to be able to do that."

"How are we going to bring something that big down?" Rusl asked with concern.

The Twilight Princess pondered this issue for a moment as she looked up at the dragon, gliding nearly a mile above any of their reaches. Bringing it down to their level to even attack it would certainly be a feat, but before Midna could come up with a complete plan, it was clear that Argarok had finished preparing its attack. The beast sucked in a huge breath of air and let it go in a large ball of fire, which managed to strike one of the outer walls of the allied base, causing a resounding quake that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.

The blast was even heard by Lana and Agitha from inside the palace as they finished taking the next keep, something that the insect princess reveled in as the white sorceress wondered what the commotion outside the palace was.

"Oh goody!" Agitha exclaimed with a bright smile, allowing the Goddess Butterfly to perch upon her finger. "We've captured both keeps!"

"Yeah… but the gate to the enemy base still won't budge…" Lana frowned, glancing towards the far off doors that she knew the Gate of Souls was hidden behind. "And did you hear that rumbling out in the courtyard… I think we should go check it out."

"Ok!" the insect princess agreed unflinchingly, already following behind the white sorceress as the two of them hurried for the exterior of the palace. And of course, the very first thing they saw was Argarok in its spot high above, still sending a barrage of fire towards the allied base.

"Oh no!" Lana exclaimed worriedly. "That dragon is attacking our base! Agitha, I need you to stay here, ok? I have to go help Midna and the others.

"But I wanna help you, Miss Lana!" Agitha said pleadingly, hoping that the white sorceress would let her continue to join in on the fun that was to be had in this battle. "Please, let me come!"

"I'm sorry, Agitha," Lana said apologetically, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "But not this time. That dragon looks really dangerous, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let you get hurt. Now please, stay here. I'll be back; I promise."

The insect princess pouted for a brief moment before hesitantly nodding in relent, hoping that she could prove her useful to the white sorceress by protecting the keeps they had captured within the palace. "Ok, Miss Lana…" she said with a fretful sigh. "But please do be careful! L'il Butterfly and I will be worried for you and Miss Kitty until you get back!"

Lana couldn't help but smile slightly at the young girl's kind sincerity, remembering that even though Agitha was an unintentionally good fighter, she was still just a child. "Don't worry," the white sorceress said, kneeling down to give the insect princess a consoling hug. "We'll be all right."

They held this embrace for a moment before finally breaking apart, Agitha watching worriedly as Lana headed off, already fully prepared to take on Argarok. In almost no time at all, the white sorceress managed to spot the Twilight Princess, along with a group of soldiers, en route to the keep that the dragon was flying above.

"Hey!" Midna shouted angrily to Argarok, who paid her no mind as it continued its rampage. "Get down here! No fair flying where we can't kill you!"

"Hey, Midna!" Lana called to her ally, running up alongside her to join her in her assault. "Any ideas on how to handle that thing?"

"I was thinking that I give it a little taste of my Twilight abilities to bring it down to size," the Twilight Princess said with a coy grin. "I'm going to make a magic circle directly beneath him. You mind covering me?"

"Not at all," the white sorceress said with a nod as the two of them worked their way through the monsters in their path. However, knowing that time was of the essence for their base, Lana and Midna left the underlings to the other soldiers, both of them breaking into the monster ridden keep and getting to work on clearing it. All the while, Agitha stood just within the entryway of the Palace of Twilight, frowning as she watched her allies fight and wishing she could join them, but she remembered what the white sorceress had told her mere moments before as she glanced at the Goddess Butterfly resting on her shoulder.

"You're right, Li'l Butterfly," the insect princess said with a kind smile. "Our friends are doing everything they can, so we'd better do everything we can too! Let's go!" With a light giggle, Agitha took off into the Palace of Twilight once more, knowing exactly what she had to do.

It didn't take too terribly long for Midna and Lana to clear the keep out and claim it as their own. Almost as soon as they did so, the Twilight Princess positioned herself in the center and focused her energy into creating a magic circle, which soon appeared glowing warmly underneath her. "All right! Its done!" Midna exclaimed as Lana joined her in standing in the magic circle. "Time to take that dragon down!"

The white sorceress nodded in agreement as they both rose their hands up into the air, channeling their magic through the circle. In response to this, large chains formed of Twilit magic shot out from the boarder of the circle and darted high into the air towards Argarok at frightening speeds, their sharp tips latching onto its widespread wings. The dragon let out a shrill screech as the hooks on the chains bore into its wings, tearing holes in their flesh. In a blind panic, Argarok spread its wings out powerfully, breaking the dark chains but not without causing substantial damage to itself.

"Great!" Lana said with a grin as the dragon began to fly away from keep and towards the back of the palace, a sign that their attack had been a success. "Looks like that shook it up pretty good!"

"It would have been better if we had brought it down, but I guess that this will work for now…" Midna said with a shrug. "Now, let's head back to the base and make sure everything's-"

"So, you think you've won, Midna?" Zant's deep voice echoed across the area once again, freezing the two of them in their tracks. "You may have chased away Argarok, but my plan doesn't end there, oh no! Witness the Twilight King's next stratagem. Forces, capture the enemy commanders!"

"What?!" Lana exclaimed as the usurper king's voice died out on a crazed burst of laughter. "Oh no… Agitha!"

"Who cares about her?!" Midna said as she already began to glide towards the allied base. "We have to worry about our base! If he actually manages to capture any of us, its as good as gone!"

The white sorceress bit her lip anxiously as she debated on whether or not she was going to follow the Twilight Princess or aid the insect princess. However, it was clear that Midna had already made up her mind as she rushed for the allied base, regardless of whether or not Lana intended to go with her. And because of this, the white sorceress decided that Agitha would certainly need her help in fending off their attacking foes.

* * *

Even from a distance, Midna could see the monsters that had suddenly began battering the allied base. The members of the Resistance were putting their all into fighting against them using their varying weapons, but even so, it was clear that they were getting overwhelmed. "Of course they'd attack the moment I step away…" she muttered in aggravation, contorting her hand into a fist as she prepared to leap into the fray. However, before she could even come close, the Twilight Princess found herself surrounded by a legion of monsters, and to make matters worse, not a single one of her allies was in sight. Midna rolled her eyes in annoyance as she called upon her wolf, commanding it to leap into their thick numbers as she mowed several of them down. And yet, what she couldn't have anticipated as she took on her foes was the increasing number of them behind her, or specifically the crafty aeralfos right behind her, which she didn't notice until its claws latched onto her hair hanging down her back. The Twilight Princess let out a startled cry as the monster ripped her brutally from the back of her wolf, causing it to dissipate into Twilit flecks as Midna landed brutally upon the stone ground, her head colliding roughly against it as the Fused Shadow only made the impact even more painful. Agony exploded across her vision and though she fought to keep her eyes open and her vision clear, she all too soon found herself slipping away into the void of unconsciousness, falling victim to the hordes of monsters all around her.

* * *

Lana dashed through the twisting halls of the Palace of Twilight the best she could, though she did wish Midna was with her as she honestly had no idea where she was going. The part of the palace she was in was fortunately devoid of monsters, but that meant nothing to the white sorceress so long as she couldn't locate the insect princess.

"Agitha!" Lana shouted as loudly as she could, hearing nothing but her own voice echoing back to her in response. The white sorceress's heart pounded with worry for the young, rather innocent girl whom she had foolishly left alone in such a dangerous place. Though she knew Agitha could fend for herself, Lana still didn't feel good about leaving her to fend for herself against so many monsters, especially since Zant had commanded his forces to specifically target the three of them. And it was because of this immense concern for the insect princess, that the white sorceress forgot that she was one of those targets as well.

As Lana rounded another corner, she was soon met with what had become a common sight for her: a dead end. With a weary sigh, she began to turn around, but before she fully had, her book was suddenly roughly knocked out of her hands. She let out a sharp gasp as she looked up to see the large, fat bulbin blocking her path, raising its cleaver to attack her yet again. Her eyes wide, the white sorceress rushed to reclaim her tome so she could use her attack magic once more, for without it, her powers were severely limited.

Unfortunately, the Book of Sorcery had landed behind the bulbin, which left Lana virtually defenseless against it. The white sorceress clenched her fists tightly as she tried to fire a simple spell towards it, but her weakened magic did little to deter it. Nervously, Lana began to back away from the monster as it slowly approached her until her back was against the wall, leaving her with nowhere to go and nothing to do. All she could do was watch with horror as the bulbin raised its weapon and brought it down roughly, its flat edge colliding with her head unforgivingly. Lana let out a cry of sharp pain as she weakly collapsed to the ground, her injured head swimming in pain and her vision growing dark as the world spun around her. One last time, she weakly attempted to reach out for her book, but she was quickly grabbed by the arm by the bulbin and dragged away, leaving her only weapon behind.

"A-Agitha…" the white sorceress murmured sadly as her eyes slipped shut, knowing that wherever she was going, the young insect princess was certainly about to join her.

* * *

_"You have to control yourself! If you don't you could lose everything!"_

_"But I don't care about any of this anymore! There's only one thing I want now, and I'll do whatever it takes to get him!"_

_"But this isn't right! You know this isn't right! This is against everything you've been taught, everything you know to be true!"_

_"But we've been alone for so long now! We deserve this! We deserve HIM! And we will have him!"_

_"Please! This has to stop! The darkness inside of you is tearing you apart! You'll die if you let it consume you!_

_"I'll die of a lonely, broken heart if I stay with this wretched light any longer!"_

_"So… what are you saying?!"_

_"…I want nothing more to do with you. If you wish to keep me from him, from everything I've ever wanted… then away with you…"_

_"…Fine. If this is really what you want…. Then you'll have to see the mistake you're making the hard way… I only hope I can save you before that happens…"_

* * *

With a soft grown, the white sorceress slowly opened her eyes, only to feel the cold, hard sensation of the rough stone ground she was lying upon. She had no idea how much time had passed since she had been knocked out, but as she sat up, she was quick to see the chains around her wrists, connected to the floor, though they were long enough that she was able to stand and move around a bit. With a concerned gasp, Lana noticed Midna lying on the ground not too far away from her, still unconscious and chained as well. Glancing around, the white sorceress could see that the two of them were alone, locked inside of a keep with all four of its doors sealed shut, barring any form of escape.

Lana let out a disappointed sigh as she remembered that her Book of Sorcery had been knocked away, meaning that she could not use her magic to try and get out. The only consolation she received was the fact that Agitha wasn't here, meaning that at the very least, the insect princess had not been captured. Yet.

"Comfortable, my dear?" a voice sounded out throughout the keep, one that Lana quickly recognized as Zant's. The white sorceress quickly rose to stand, placing herself in front of the listless Twilight Princess in a protective stance as she waited for the usurper king to appear. And sure enough, he soon did, only this time, his helmet had been removed to reveal his face. As was the norm of the Twili people, Zant had pale blue skin, though a set of Twili designs was marked upon his forehead. His eyes were a haunting, glowing orange, devoid of pupils as they set their sights upon the defenseless white sorceress who watched him warily.

"Stay back," Lana cautioned with a warning glare. "If you hurt her, then I'll make sure you pay for it."

"Using what?" Zant asked knowingly. "Your little book? I highly doubt that." The white sorceress drew in a nervous breath as the usurper king began to pace around her, his piercing gaze almost staring right through her. "Mistress Cia warned me about you… The white sorceress… So pure and kind…" Lana involuntarily shuddered as Zant stood behind her, his cold, bony fingers slowly tracing along her jawline as his other hand held her tightly in place. His cold breath tickled her neck as he whispered in her ear, filling her with an unspeakable revulsion. "You're quite lovely, my dear…"

Lana sucked in a deep breath as she quickly pulled herself away from him, letting out a sound of disgust as she did so. "Leave me alone!" she hissed firmly, refusing to be treated in such an untoward way.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Zant said dismissively. "I've never had much of a penchant for you simple light dwellers anyway."

The white sorceress took in a deep breath as she remained on the defensive, unsure of what her strange foe planned on doing next. "There's no point in you keeping us here," she said defiantly. "We'll find a way out and we'll get to the Gate of Souls, I can promise you that."

"And how do you intend to do that?" the usurper king asked caustically. "Your base is currently being beset by Argarok once more and none of your allies even know you're here. Who will come to save you now?"

Lana bit her lip, knowing that her situation was indeed quite pragmatic, but she refused to give up, even despite that. However, Zant didn't give her a chance to reply as he spoke up once more. "Of course, even if they do find you, it will be too late," he said with a dark grin. "By then, both you and 'her highness' will be nothing more than Argarok's latest meal!"

The white sorceress let out a gasp of shock at this as the usurper king merely let out a wild laugh. "You're insane!" Lana exclaimed, wishing that she had her book with her so she could properly take on this unpredictable foe.

Zant shook his head as his eyes narrowed at her. "I've been called that many times before, my dear…" he said ominously. "And I've never denied it even once."

With one more crazed laugh, the false Twilight king vanished once more into a burst of Twilight, leaving Lana and Midna alone at last. The white sorceress took in a diffident breath as she glanced over at her injured ally, who was finally starting to stir a bit. Midna slowly opened her eyes to see Lana kneeling down beside her, looking over the gash that had been torn across her forehead when she had been captured. The Twilight Princess had been hurt more than the white sorceress, which was why she let out a soft groan of pain as her vision finally began to clear.

"L-Lana?" Midna asked softly, pain lacing her tone as she attempted to sit up, something Lana was quick to advise against.

"Careful," the white sorceress cautioned. "You got banged up pretty badly out there… What happened?"

The Twilight Princess let out an aggravated sigh as she slowly rose to float once more, taking note of the chains binding her tiny wrists. "I got pulled off my wolf and hit my head," she said, crossing her arms. "What about you?"

"I was knocked out by a monster," Lana said with a frown. "My book was knocked out of my hands too, meaning I really can't do any magic at all, except for a few simple healing spells. Do you want me to see if I can do anything about that cut on your head?"

Midna simply nodded and allowed the white sorceress to get to work, slowly sealing up the injury as the Twilight Princess scowled at the sealed off doors. "So I guess we're stuck in here, huh?" she asked sourly, knowing that certainly Zant was taking advantage of this situation.

"At least until someone from the Resistance comes," Lana said. "But I'm sure they'll be busy protecting our base, so I guess that only leaves Agitha."

"Agitha?" Midna scoffed. "You really think that kid can break us out of here? I hate to break it to, but she's an absolute ditz . The only thing that girl has on her mind is bugs, and Nayru only knows why. If we have to rely on her, then we're doomed!"

"She's the only one we have left to rely on," the white sorceress said firmly, coming to the insect princess's defense. "And besides, she's surprised all of us thus far. I'm sure she'll find a way to surprise us again."

"Whatever," the Twilight Princess said sidedly, not really showing much faith in their young ally. It was clear to Midna that the only way either of them were going to escape would be through a miracle, one that the flighty insect princess certainly wouldn't be able to provide.

* * *

Agitha pranced through the halls of the Palace of Twilight with determination in her lavender eyes, the Goddess Butterfly flittering loyally at her side. She had checked several times and sure enough, both of the keeps her and Lana had captured were still safe and sound, though she did notice that several monsters had begun to flood them. The insect princess frowned upon seeing this, knowing that such pests would certainly harm the bugs that she was allowing to rest inside of the keeps along with the allied soldiers, something she certainly wouldn't stand for.

And yet, something else had begun to bother the girl; though the white sorceress had promised she would return safely, she had been gone for quite a while. Agitha couldn't help but be troubled by this, especially considering the fact that she looked up to the kind older girl who had allowed her to tag along on this mission, even despite its apparent dangers. And yet, unlike everyone else, the insect princess did not see this battle as such; instead, she saw it as a wide scale game, in which her and her friends were hoping to win against the ugly monsters who were trying to take their keeps. Their ultimate goal was to find that Gate of Souls that Lana had spoken of, and whoever did that first would win the game. It sounded simple enough, but Agitha knew that winning wouldn't be so easy without the help of her newfound friends, which meant that she had to join up with Lana and Midna once more as soon as possible, before the tides turned against their favor.

With a spring in her step, the insect princess continued onward, her parasol protecting her from any of the enemy's advances as she looked out for any signs of her allies. However, as she went on her way, she soon began to notice a rather large bulbin heading right for her, a deadly-looking cleaver in its hands as it set its beady-eyed gaze upon her. The other monsters made way for it as Agitha watched it with a curious frown, wondering what exactly it planned on doing.

"Oh?" the insect princess said, glancing at the butterfly gliding near her. "That baddie is running right up to me! Does it want to talk?"

The Goddess Butterfly of course did not offer a response as the bulbin continued to approach the girl, who suddenly grew nervous as it began to raise its weapon. "H-hey!" she exclaimed fearfully. "What do you think you're doing, Mr Monster!?"

The bulbin growled ferociously as it prepared to bring its cleaver down, but as scared as she was, Agitha acted quickly. "Li'l Beetle! Help!" she shouted, hoping that her friend would come to her aid. And sure enough, a not-so-little green beetle, larger than even the girl herself, materialized out of thin air, dropping down upon the bulbin and all the monsters near it from above, crushing them all almost instantly. Agitha smiled warmly at the bug, giving it a tender scratch of gratitude on its horn before it flew away, the insect princess waving it farewell as it departed.

With the menacing bulbin defeated, Agitha happened to glance down to see that the monster had happened to drop something that it had been holding onto: a thick, leather bound tome. "Oh my…" the insect princess mused as she picked the heavy volume up. "Isn't this Miss Lana's book? We should return it to her, Li'l Butterfly. Do you know where she is?"

The butterfly's blue wings shimmered upon this request and immediately it began to fly off towards where the white sorceress supposedly was. With a gracious smile for her insect friend, the young girl followed its lead, hoping to finally reunite with her friends once more.

* * *

"So…" Midna said casually as her and Lana sat against the side of the prison keep, waiting for something, anything to happen. "I guess we're stuck here for a while, huh?"

"I guess so…" the white sorceress said with a frown, still hoping that the insect princess would somehow come to their aid before the usurper king made good on his promise to feeding them to Argorok.

The Twilight Princess let out a sigh of disappointment as she ran her fingers through her tied up hair. "We were both being careless," she said scornfully. "That's the only reason why Zant's goons were able to capture us. This never would have happened if he were here…"

"If who was here?" Lana asked curiously, noticing how Midna had muttered her last statement.

The Twilight Princess's eyes widened slightly upon realizing the white sorceress had heard her, but she decided not to dodge the question since there was no point to. "Link…" Midna said with a sigh and a fond smile, averting her ally's gaze as she allowed her mind to drift into fond memories.

"You mean the Hero of Twilight, don't you?" Lana asked, knowing that there was no way the Twilight Princess could be referring to the hero of her era.

Midna was still smiling as she nodded solemnly. "Yeah…" she said wistfully. "But he was never one for titles like that. I used to tease him by calling him my 'little wolf', and yet he'd always just take it. That was just the thing about him… He made it through everything with his head held high and his courage unshaken…"

"You really miss him, don't you?" the white sorceress asked gently, knowing from her observing the flow of time that the Twilight Princess and the Hero of Twilight had a close bond through their journeys together.

"All the time…" Midna said with a small, humorless laugh. "And… a lot of the time I wonder if he misses me… I mean, he has Zelda and Ilia and all of his other friends… I highly doubt he's as lonely as I am…"

Lana bit her lip as she remembered the rest of the Hero of Twilight's story after him and the Twilight Princess has parted ways, and she knew that it was anything but pleasant. And yet, she couldn't tell Midna that, lest it discourage her even more. "Do you ever regret breaking the Mirror of Twilight?" she asked.

"Of course," the Twilight Princess said with a bitter frown. "I wish I could reverse time and keep myself from ever doing it."

"But if was for the best, wasn't it?" the white sorceress asked with a frown. "The worlds of light and shadow needed to be separated in order to keep them both safe."

"A lot of good that did," Midna scoffed, before she paused and gave Lana a curious look. "Wait a minute… How do you know about all this anyway…? I know your from the future, but I doubt that Princess Zelda would have let all this stuff about the Twilight Realm and the Mirror of Twilight become common knowledge in her kingdom for it to be passed down to future generations…"

"Uh… well…" Lana began, knowing that she had slipped up once again and revealed too much about herself. And yet, she knew that keeping secrets from her allies was anything but healthy, especially when she really had nothing to loose. "Its kind of hard to explain… But… I'll try. I'm not just from the future; I'm also what's known as a Guardian of Time, someone who's able to look through the ages and watch the past in full detail. Cia and I both were guardians actually, until she defected and started causing all this chaos…"

"No kidding?" the Twilight Princess asked in intrigue. "That's really impressive. So you know everything that's happened in the past?"

"Most things," the white sorceress said with a shrug. "I paid special attention to things pertaining to the most well-known legends of Hyrule."

"So… you would know what happens to him… after I break the Mirror of Twilight, then?" Midna asked, her tone hopeful. "I don't care to know about my own future that much, but I… I just want to make sure he finds happiness… After everything he went through, he deserves it more than anyone else…"

"Midna… I… I can't…" Lana said hesitantly, knowing that she very well could, but revealing the truth would be painful for both of them.

"Please," the Twilight Princess said earnestly, almost pleadingly. "Please, Lana. I… I just need to know… I need to know whether or not I… I ruined his life by leaving him…"

The white sorceress was silent for a long moment as she took in the pain and desperation in Midna's eyes, which was what ultimately made her relent. After all, even if it was painful, the truth was too strong to remain hidden. "After you broke the Mirror… he grieved for the longest time…" Lana began, her tone solemn and gentle. "In fact, he never really stopped grieving. He tried for the longest time to find a way back to you, but there was none that was within his reach. Princess Zelda tried to reach out to him, to honor him for his service and sacrifice, but the two of them never really bonded in the way that you and him did…"

The Twilight Princess showed no reaction aside from her troubled expression as she pressed for the white sorceress to go on. "But… he does find happiness eventually… right?"

Lana sighed sadly and slowly shook her head, wishing that she didn't have to deliver a tale of such woe. "There's a war in Hyrule that will take place in about five years from now," she went on. "And, of course, he'll fight in it. He'll give his all for his kingdom, just as he did during the Twilight Invasion, but as he fights, he'll still have pain and loss in his heart. He'll be so caught up in all of it that he won't even see the poison-tipped arrow that punctures his chest from behind…"

"No…" Midna whispered in grief as her eyes filled up with oncoming tears, but even so Lana continued.

"The princess will try her best to save him, using all of her magic and resources that she can spare," the white sorceress said, her voice low and sorrowful. "But… he doesn't make it… He dies from both his wounds and his broken heart, at the age of only twenty two…"

"No!" Midna shouted in desperation, her tears flowing freely now as she let out a pained sob. "No, he can't! He… he still has so much to live for! He can't die that young!"

"I'm sorry, Midna," Lana said sincerely. "But… that's what the fates reveal will happen… There's no changing it…"

"So, what you're saying is that he's only going to live for five more years, spending them completely miserable and devastated, before dying a painful death?!" the Twilight Princess asked harshly, her grief translating into anger. "But that's not fair! He gave up so much, fought so hard, and that's how he's ultimately going to be rewarded for it?!"

The white sorceress prepared to say something consoling before she realized that her ally was correct about the cruelty of fate. "You're right…" she muttered as she looked down to the stone ground, wondering if the hero of her time would also meet a similar bleak future. "Its not fair…"

The two of them were silent for a long moment, a lingering sadness settling upon both of them as they both thought about the abysmal fate that awaited the Hero of Twilight in this era. However, as they sat there, the Twilight Princess soon reached a conclusion that quickly turned into an idea, one that she could hopefully use to defy fate's design for the hero she had gotten so close to. "Wait…" Midna said to Lana, her grief turning into ingenuity. "What if… what if I saw him again, what if we reunited? Maybe that would change things! Maybe he wouldn't get so depressed and heartbroken. Maybe then… he wouldn't have to die so early…"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Midna," Lana said with a frown. "Changing the fates… it's a risky thing…"

"Well isn't Cia already doing just that for her own selfish ends?" the Twilight Princess asked, her resolve steadily growing. "The way I see it, if Link sees me again… it could save his life… Please, Lana. I can't let myself be the reason for his death… I… I care about him too much…"

The white sorceress didn't say anything for the longest time as she pondered this request. She knew the Twilight Princess was asking for her aid in meeting the Hero of Twilight again, but at the same time she was apprehensive. While she didn't like the idea of any of Hyrule's heroes meeting their end in such a tragic way, she knew that time was a fragile thing that shouldn't be tampered with. And yet, weren't her and all her allies doing that very thing by venturing into these other eras to close the Gates of Souls? How much harm would it really do to reunite two companions who were so clearly lost without each other?

"All right," Lana finally agreed, something that brought a warm smile to Midna's face. "I'll help you reunite with him as soon as all this mess with Cia is over. I promise."

"Thank you…" the Twilight Princess said, her eyes still shining with tears, though they were happy ones this time. "Thank you so much. And in return, I'll help you save the Hyrule of your age from her. After all, its only fair."

The white sorceress smiled and nodded her thanks. However, before either of them could say anything else, a sudden crash sounded out from the other side of the prison keep door, one that startled both of them as they rose to stand, though they were still bound by the chains around their wrists.

"What was that?" Lana asked wonderingly, however, she quickly received her answer as all four doors of the keep began to rumble open, revealing a lone figure standing in one of the entryways, a downed bulbin lying on the ground not too far away.

"Oh my!" Agitha exclaimed as she saw Lana and Midna. "I was wondering where the two of you were!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" the Twilight Princess exclaimed in complete disbelief, realizing that the insect princess had completely surprised her yet again.

"Agitha!" the white sorceress greeted the girl with a wide smile. "I knew you'd come! How'd you find us?"

"Well, I thought that the baddies had invited you to a tea party, and I wondered why I wasn't invited!" the insect princess said with a huffy pout. "Has it been canceled?"

"Oh, for the love of Farore!" Midna scoffed to Lana, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Where'd you even find this one?"

"Anyway, I found your book, Miss Lana!" Agitha said, returning the Book of Sorcery to the white sorceress, who accepted it gratefully. "And Li'l Butterfly led me all the way here. Of course, I ran into a few baddies on the way here, but me and my friends taught them a lesson they won't soon forget!"

"You did a great job, Agitha!" Lana said with a wide smile. "Thank you so much for coming to find us! Do you think you can get us out of these chains?"

"Sure thing!" the insect princess said cheerfully, reaching into her basket and pulling out a bottle with a pincher-bug in it, allowing it to work its feelers into the locks around Lana and Midna's wrists until they clattered to the ground unlocked.

"All right," the Twilight Princess said, her tone serious and resolved as she knew she had something to look forward to once all this was over, namely reuniting with the Hero of Twilight after so long. "This was a bit of a setback, but we should still be ok. Right now, we need to make sure that our base it still standing. Come on!"

Without any further deliberation, the trio rushed for the exit of the palace, only to break through it and see something that made their hearts sink. Somehow Argarok had returned, its former wounds healed as it hovered over an enemy keep and continued to launch fireballs towards the allied base. Several parts of the base had caught fire, which the members of the Resistance as well as the soldiers were desperately trying to quell as they also continued to drive off the monsters relentlessly trying to invade it. The allied forces were in dire straits indeed without their commanders, but before anything else, the three of them knew that the menacing dragon had to be taken care of first.

"Not that dragon again…" Midna muttered in aggravation. "I'm so sick of it!"

"Mister Dragon sure does like to fly way up there!" Agitha remarked as she watched Argarok hover high in the air. "He's as stubborn as some flies I know! I wish there was some way to reach him…"

"You're right…" Lana said with a frown. "If only we could get it down to our level, then we'd be able to give it a fair fight… But how?"

"Well, its obvious another magic circle isn't going to get the job done," the Twilight Princess said, crossing her arms. "We need a new strategy…"

Almost as soon as Midna said this, the Goddess Butterfly resting on Agitha's shoulders began to glisten once more. "Oh, Li'l Butterfly has something she wants to say!" the insect princess exclaimed as the butterfly flew up towards her ear as the white sorceress and the Twilight Princess exchanged a confused glance. "Yes? Hm…" Agitha grinned and nodded as she appeared to listen to whatever the butterfly was saying to her, if it could even communicate at all. "She said she wants to lead us somewhere!" the girl reported to her allies as the Goddess Butterfly glided ahead to take the lead.

"Fine," Midna said with a diffident sigh. "We might as well follow the butterfly. After all, there's an old rumor that says there's supposed to be an ancient Fairy Fountain hidden around here somewhere, though I've never been able to find it. Maybe it knows where it is."

"Its worth a try," the white sorceress said, nodding in agreement. "Let's go!"

* * *

Another fireball rammed into the side of the allied base, rattling its foundation yet again. The members of the Resistance were all beyond exhausted as they tried to avoid the raining shrapnel and debris from the explosion, all while bulbins rushed to claim their last stronghold.

"They won't stop coming!" Rusl exclaimed as he ripped his sword into another mosnter. "What should we do?"

"Hold your ground, everyone!" Telma ordered as she feverishly tended to the many wounded soldiers inside the keep. "This base is all we've got left!"

The base was shaken yet again as another fireball plummeted into its side, critically wearing down the integrity of the wall. "I don't think we can take any more of this, yeah?!" Ashei shouted, quickly getting overwhelmed by the bulbins surrounding her.

"We need nothing short of a miracle to get us out of this disaster," Auru commented, shaking his head as they all glanced towards the dragon reigning in the Twilit skies, the very source of all their troubles.

However, just as Argarok sucked in another heavy breath to create another fiery projectile, it didn't notice a sudden magic circle being instantaneously formed upon the ground directly below it. The circle glowed gold for a moment, before an array of Twilit hooks suddenly shot out from it, just as they had when Midna had created a magic circle earlier. And, once again the hooks latched onto the dragon's wings, but this time it was quick to shake them all off before they could do any damage. But what Argarok didn't see was the second set of chains, darting from the magic circle and into the sky, this time ascending right past the dragon's wings and even higher above it. Agrarok paid them no mind until they seemed to latch onto something high above it, an object concealed above the dark clouds of the Twilight Realm. And yet, everyone, including the forces on the ground and even the mighty Twilit dragon itself froze in shock and terror upon seeing what the chains were steadily pulling down.

It was the moon, or at least it looked like it. However, it was a far cry from the often beautiful orb of the night that usually appeared. This moon was dark and frightening, bearing a menacing face that frightened all who looked upon it. Its large eyes were piercing yellow and bloodshot with small black pupils, and its toothy grin was malevolent and forced. The members of the Resistance all watched on with absolute shock as the hooks pulled the strange moon down from its perch on high, until its pointed nose struck Argarok squarely. The dragon let out a piercing screech as its right wing was battered by the heavy impact, sending it plummeting from its place in the sky towards the palace below. As Argarok continued to helplessly fall, the wicked-looking moon suddenly dissipated into hundreds of fairies, giving everyone a sign of where this miraculous attack had come from.

"I say…" Shad murmured in amazement as the dreaded Twilit dragon continued to fall, relief filling all of the members of the Resistance as they realized they finally had a chance at winning this battle. And of course, it was a chance that they all readily took.

* * *

"That was a bit of an overkill, don't you think?" Midna asked the Great Fairy sarcastically as she, Lana, and Agitha watched the dragon's downfall from the doorway of the Fairy Fountain.

The Great Fairy simply laughed and shrugged a bit. "Perhaps," she said. "But you did ask for my assistance in bringing that fell dragon down, Twilight Princess, and that's exactly what me and my little fairies did."

"Thank you for your aid, Great Fairy," Lana said graciously, smiling at the Great Fairy as she returned to her celestial pool of water. "Ok," the white sorceress said, turning to her allies. "Now that the dragon's been knocked out of the sky, out attacks should finally be able to reach it! Let's finish it off!"

The trio rushed forth from the Fairy Fountain and out into the courtyard of the palace, only to find a rather encouraging sight. Now that the base was no longer being brutally beset, it was allowed to recover, especially since the hordes of monsters attacking it had been thinned out. Already engaging the dragon in combat were Rusl, Shad, and Ashei, while Auru and Telma had stayed behind to help the base reinforce itself.

"There you all are!" Ashei said to the three of them as they regrouped, all of them circling the dragon as it flew only a few feet above the ground now, clearly crippled by the Great Fairy's attack. "We were starting to think you got lost, yeah?"

"No," Lana said with a casual laugh. "We just got a little sidetracked. How are things going?"

"Much better than before," Rusl said with renewed confidence. "All we need to do now is find a way to drag the dragon down just a bit lower so we can defeat it once and for all!"

"Allow me," Midna said with a sly grin as she contorted her hair behind her. "I think I can handle this one." With a fierce battle cry, the Twilight Princess launched her hair-hand up into the air, gripping the low tip of the dragon's tail tightly. Argarok let out a screech as it tried to fight against her hold, but since it was already injured, she was able to pull it down with relative ease. The large dragon landed on its back in the middle of the square roughly, thrashing and flailing around in a desperate attempt to rise again. The allies didn't hesitate to take advantage of its vulnerability as they got to work attacking it, everyone taking on a different part. Shad and Ashei teamed up on cleaving its wings to further inhibit its ability to fly, while Rusl aimed his attacks at its tail. Agitha and Lana cooperated together on wearing its long spine down with both insects and magic while Midna took on its weak point: the small eye on top on its back, which she rammed her wolf into unforgivingly. The Twilit wolf bit savagely into the eye, causing the dragon to let out a wild scream of pain, but the Twilight Princess did not relent as she ordered the wolf to repeat this attack over and over again, until at last, Argorok squealed in defeat. Everyone backed away from the dying dragon until it disappeared in a burst of Twilight, gone once and for all.

"We finally beat it…" Midna said as everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Good riddance to the beast too…"

"You guys should head back to the base and rest," Lana said to Rusl, Shad and Ashei. "You've certainly earned it. We're going to go deal with the commander of the enemy forces."

The Resistance members hesitantly agreed to this as the trio began to set off for the enemy base, Agitha skipping ahead excitedly the entire time. "Hooray!" she exclaimed brightly. "Mister Dragon is all gone, so now let's go take care of that mean old Mister Ant next!"

"That's a good name for a insane fool like Zant," the Twilight Princess said with a snicker as the three of them approached the enemy base, seeing that its doors had finally opened. The only obstacle standing between them and the Gate of Souls now was the usurper king himself.

"So, Zant," Midna said, her tone hostile as the trio stepped into the otherwise empty enemy base to find only Zant standing before them with his back to them, his gaze set upon the Gate of Souls, from which darkness was pouring. "Are you ready to go down just like that stupid dragon of yours?"

"I don't know how you managed to bring Argorok down and defeat him…" the usurper king began, his tone dark and ominous. "But you will not do the same to me!" Zant suddenly turned around in a movement so quickly that it startled all three of them, his eyes wild as he began to twist his body in an unnatural way. "I am the King of Twilight! This realm is my domain! I will lead the charge against you fools myself if I have to! You all shall meet your doooom!"

Upon proclaiming this, the usurper king's helmet covered his face once more as he held his arms out to his sides, sharp scimitars darting out of his thick sleeves as he gripped one in each hand. As he pointed both of them towards the trio, it was clear that the deciding battle had commenced. At once, Lana, Midna, and Agitha all split up to different corners of the keep, hoping that their number would overpower Zant. But the Twilight Princess had cautioned her allies not to underestimate the usurper king and his strange powers, for even though it was clear that he was not entirely sane, he was still incredibly strong and incredibly dangerous.

Lana was the first to try and attack Zant from behind, using her book to conjure up a barrier and send it flying towards him. However, the usurper king was surprisingly nimble as he deflected it with a dizzying spin, one that continued as he held his scimitars out and attempted to hit one of his foes as he spun around the room. He couldn't keep this up forever though as he eventually stopped and nearly collapsed out of dizziness. Agitha saw this and giggled, knowing that certainly Zant was merely playing with them like the rest of their foes.

"Oh my!" the insect princess exclaimed, clasping her hands together in enjoyment. "Mister Ant, are you dizzy? I'm sure my bee friends will be able to help you!"

Without any further words, Agitha called upon a horde of golden bees, sending them Zant's way. The usurper king let out a frightened scream as the bees began to sting him, and he wildly thrashed his arms around to try and get rid of them. Midna let out a snide laugh at seeing her sworn enemy in such pain before she gave the insect princess a wide grin of approval.

"Nice job, kid!" the Twilight Princess said to the insect princess, who curtseyed back graciously. "Leave the rest to me!" Still grinning triumphantly, Midna positioned herself on the back of her wolf and commanded it to charge upon the still-distracted usurper king. However, right before she made it to him, Zant manage to reclaim his bearings and let out an unhinged screech, using his magic to somehow grow instantaneously from his original size until he was so large he could barely fit inside the keep any longer. Unfortunately, the Twilight Princess was close enough that when the usurper king brought his large foot down, it nearly crushed her. Midna narrowly managed to dodge it, but she was knocked off her wolf and sent skidding across the floor. Likewise, the resounding quake sent Agitha and Lana to the ground as well, but Zant paid them no mind as he reverted to his original size and began to approach Midna slowly, his scimitars aimed to take her out.

"Well, well, my dear princess," the usurper king hissed as the Twilight Princess lay on the ground, weakly trying to pick herself up off the ground until Zant slammed his heavy foot down upon her tiny chest. "It looks as though I'm finally going to succeed where I had failed in months ago in that spring when I tried to kill you. Only this time, there will be no little lapdog hero to come to your rescue…"

"Zant, you… you bastard!" Midna nearly screamed in burning fury, resolved to show no fear even though she was certain that Zant was in a position to kill her. "You don't deserve to rule the Twilight Realm. All you deserve is death!"

The usurper king merely ignored her hateful words as he leaned in close to her, the tip of his scimitar starting to dig into her neck. "If only you could have seen your little hero one last time…" he said, his tone a low whisper as he mocked her in a way that would certainly bring her emotional pain in her last moments. "Now, he'll never know that all his work to try and save you was in vain…"

The Twilight Princess's eyes widened upon hearing these haunting words, her rage growing to unspeakable levels. And though Lana stood right behind Zant, ready to launch a surprise attack on him, she didn't have to. Midna's hair-hand gripped the usurper king by his waist tightly, and he wasn't even able to let out anything but a strained scream as the Twilight Princess squeezed him brutally as she rose from the ground. There was a fire in Midna's eyes, one filled with hatred and fury as she continued to grip her foe to the point that he could hardly breathe. "Don't you _ever_ speak of him again!" she nearly screamed in uncontrollable anger. "He brought you and your stupid 'god' down, and don't you dare think he couldn't do it again! You've brought so much suffering to me and my people, so I think its only fair that you get some of that suffering back in return, you worthless, heartless, despicable-"

"Midna!" the Twilight Princess was suddenly broken out of her blind fury by the sound of the white sorceress's voice coming from behind her. Midna quickly glanced back to see Lana and Agitha standing behind her, both of them looking at her with both shock and concern. Though the insect princess was still widely innocent, the white sorceress could tell that the Twilight Princess had every intention of killing the usurper king, which would make her no better than their insane foe himself.

"Is this what Link would have wanted?" Lana asked Midna softly, hoping to get her back to her senses. The Twilight Princess glanced down guiltily upon hearing this question, tears starting to form in her eyes once more due to her high emotional state. She knew that the hero would be horrified upon seeing her like this, even though she knew that he had quite a bit of a temper of his own, but it was nothing uncontrollably murderous like this. As much as she hated Zant and all he had done, she knew that killing him in such a savage manner wouldn't solve anything.

At last, Midna hesitantly released Zant from her grip, letting him collapse to the ground as he let out a wheezing breath, his entire body shaking from the pain of his several broken ribs. "You're not worth it," the Twilight Princess said to him coldly as she began to glide away from him. "Go find a shadow so deep you'll never see the light again."

As Midna washed her hands clean of Zant, Lana took over, approaching the heavily injured usurper king cautiously as she prepared to dispose of him properly. "You… you worthless… wretches!" Zant shouted between ragged, shaky breaths. "I am the Twilight King! I will not be mocked by youuuuu!"

"You're not the king of anything," the white sorceress said firmly, holding her hand up to create a barrier. "You're just a product of your own greed; you and Cia both.

"Bye bye, Mister Ant!" Agitha said as she recovered her usual chipper attitude, while Midna continued to sulk in one of the corners of the keep. "Maybe you'll learn to play nicer for next time!"

Enraged that he was being mocked by a mere child, the usurper king prepared to send a retort flying back at the insect princess, but before he could, Lana conjured her barrier and used it to push Zant towards the Gate of Souls, knowing that once he was inside of it, he would be unable to come out on his own again. The usurper king let out one last wild, insane scream before he was pushed into the gate, and, even after he was finally gone, his screams still echoed throughout the throne room hauntingly.

"My, my, that was exciting!" Agitha said with a smile as she allowed the Goddess Butterfly to take up a perch upon her finger. "I believe that the insect kingdom will retell legends about this battle for centuries!"

Lana frowned as she approached Midna slowly, knowing that the battle had effected the Twilight Princess on a deeper level. "Hey," she said softly, placing her hand upon her shoulder gently. "Are… are you ok?"

Midna let out a long sigh as she slowly turned around to face the white sorceress. "Yeah, I'll be good," she said diffidently. "Its just… what he said about Link… I just… I couldn't… Link saved my life, Lana. More than once really. I couldn't just let his sacrifices be mocked like that, especially by someone like Zant."

"I understand," the white sorceress said with a consoling nod. "But… like we promised; you'll see him again. And then… maybe you can properly thank him."

"I don't think I could ever really thank him enough for all he's done for me…" the Twilight Princess said with a small smile. "But hey, looks like that gate of yours is finally unguarded. Wanna try closing it up?"

"Sure," Lana said with a warm smile as the two of them rejoined Agitha and stood before the Gate of Souls at long last. The white sorceress closed her eyes as she held her book close and held her hand out, summoning her magic with the hopes that she would be able to dissipate it once and for all. The Twilight Princess and the insect princess watched with interest as a golden glow surrounded Lana's hand, one that she gently pushed towards the Gate of Souls. The glowing orb struck the center of the dark gate and it slowly ebbed out until the entire gate was covered in it. And, as the glow brightened, the Gate of Souls shrunk in on itself, until there was nothing left at all save for the throne of the Twilight Realm, which was exactly as it should have been.

"Well that's one down," Lana said with a relieved smile. "Only two more to go!"

"Two more?!" Midna exclaimed in disbelief. "You mean we have to go through this two more times!?"

"Oh, no," the white sorceress said with a small giggle. "The other two gates are located in other eras in Hyrule's past, but my allies from the present are taking care of the other ones. By the time we make it back to my era, they should all be as good as closed."

"That's what you hope…" a new voice sounded out from behind the trio, one that startled all three of them as they quickly spun around to see who was behind them: the black witch herself.

"Hello, Lana," Cia said with a superior grin, her hand on her hip as she stood several feet away from them. "Fancy seeing you here…"

"Cia!" Lana exclaimed in surprise, wondering why in the world the black witch had come in wake of the usurper king's defeat. She no longer had a foothold here in the era of Twilight, so she had no purpose in coming here.

Midna remained completely still and silent for what seemed like ages as she stared at Cia with absolute rage, all of her former anger reserved for Zant returning to her in heavy waves. However, before she could let it all go, Agitha fortunately spoke up first.

"Are you the wicked witch that Miss Lana and Miss Kitty keep talking about?" the insect princess asked rather innocently, something that only made the black witch laugh haughtily as she ignored the girl's question and looked to Lana once more.

"Oh, and I see you even gathered a motley little crew for yourself, Lana," Cia said arrogantly. "A bug-loving child and an ugly little imp. How quaint."

"Ugly?" the Twilight Princess finally spoke up, fury already fueling her words as her voice steadily rose. "Ugly?! I only look like this because you cursed me! Change me back now!"

The black witch only laughed mockingly at this demand, shaking her head. "That's funny," she said coyly. "Really, it is. I know you can't see because of my mask, but I'm just rolling my eyes right now."

"I'll roll your whole head!" Midna nearly screamed in rage, her fists clenching tightly. "I do not play games!"

"Oh come now, Midna," Cia said, laughing once more. "If I may say, that look suits you. In fact, its quite fitting for the big-headed princess of Twilight…"

The black witch snickered deviously at her own teasing words, not even seeing as the Twilight Princess's rage grew to exponential levels. Lana took notice of this however and she knew that there would be little she could do to curb Midna's anger this time. "Agitha," she whispered tensely, grabbing the insect princess, who was watching the scene with interest, by the shoulder and pulling her away from the Twilight Princess. "Stay back."

Midna's breathing was heavy and uncontrollable now as she closed her eyes, unable to merely let her rage go. Behind her, her hair was coiling into a tight fist, one that she had every intention of letting fly as she looked to the black witch once more. "You!" she shouted in fury as she thrust her hair-first forward so quickly that Cia had no time to react to it. The fist connected with the black witch's jaw brutally, sending her birdlike mask flying clean off her face. Cia let out a pained scream of surprise as she stumbled backwards, covering her face to make sure that she was uninjured. Midna was still panting as she drew her fist back in, feeling the smallest bit of satisfaction in what she had just done, though it was only a small consolation for the curse that had been placed upon her.

The black witch was hunched over as she recovered from the strike for a moment or two, and as the white sorceress saw her discarded mask lying on the ground not too far away, she drew in a nervous breath, knowing that her cover was about to be blown. And indeed it was the moment Cia lifted her head, finally revealing what she looked like underneath the mask. As was to be expected considering her perfect body, her face was incredibly beautiful and flawless as well, her skin just as warm and dark as the rest of her body was. Her hair was short and snow white, her bangs sweeping to the side as a red gem was pinned in them. Her lips were full, dark and blood red, and her features were surprisingly soft and graceful. However, what was most striking were her violet eyes, which were dark and piercing and intensified by the noticeable hint of red tainting them, a simple line painted underneath both of them. And yet, what took both Midna and Agitha by surprise the most was something that Lana tried to forget as her and Cia's eyes met, both of them glaring at one another with hostility.

Lana and Cia looked almost exactly alike.

The semblance was incredible, to the point that they easily could have been twins, and the Twilight Princess theorized that perhaps they were, though it wouldn't have made any sense for the white sorceress to not inform them that the black witch was her sister. But all the same, her and the insect princess only had a moment to think about this as Cia straightened herself, regaining her composure as she scowled at all three of them.

"Unfortunately, I have no more time to spare on playing with _children_," the black witch said coldly as she turned to leave. "Have fun wallowing in your own insignificance."

Cia didn't leave on a laugh as she vanished in a cloud of darkness, leaving the trio alone in a stated silence after what had just happened. However, Midna was the first to speak up as Lana simply remained standing silent, ignoring the amazed looks that both princesses were giving her.

"Lana… her face…" the Twilight Princess stammered in bewilderment. "It looks exactly like yours!"

"Is that mean witch your sister?" Agitha asked the white sorceress curiously, also uncertainly of what to make of this revelation.

Lana hesitated for a long moment, biting her lip anxious as she realized that she needed to stop hiding the truth from her allies both old and new. "No…" she said guiltily, averting both of their gazes. "The truth is… Cia… I… Oh, how do I even put this? Simply put…. I'm Cia's… other half…"

Midna and Agitha exchanged a confused glance before the Twilight Princess pressed for more information. "Other half…" Midna repeated, her expression slightly disturbed. "As in…?"

"Oh, oh no!" Lana exclaimed, catching onto what she was implying as her cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "What I mean is that Cia and I were once the same person. Its really hard to explain, but we used to be the same being, until one day we just… split apart…"

"Why?" Agitha asked with a frown, not really understanding what Lana was talking about, a sentiment that Midna honestly could agree with as well.

The white sorceress sighed as she began to head out of the keep, regret already filling her as she recalled the day that she had split apart from the black witch, or what broke her heart even more, the long-forgotten peaceful days in which they had been the same person, united as the sole Guardian of Time. "It's a long story…"

* * *

**Alright so I'm not gonna lie, this chapter was actually a ton of fun to write! Mostly because it foreshadowed some stuff that will be important later, and also because I honestly think that Lana, Midna and Agitha is such a great team up. For next time though we'll be journeying to the Water Temple with the Ocarina of Time gang, and I am really excited for it since I have so much planned for that chapter! But for now the chapter question: In honor of the boss pack coming out in today in the US, What is your favorite DLC pack for Hyrule Warriors? I'm torn between the Twilight and Termina ones, mostly because I love both Twili Midna and Young Link so much! Answer in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	16. Sequence of Drops

_Ok, firstly I am SO sorry that this chapter too so long. Secondly, I am SO FREAKING SORRY that this chapter sucks so much. I really tried with this one, but this stage was just so hard to write, mostly because it was really kind of bland in the game to begin with. I am well aware that a lot of this is rushed and bland, so you don't need to point that out to me, ok? I promise that future chapters will be better, but... for now... we gotta get through this... ugh... (also yeah I know i said Nabooru was going to be in this chapter, but I think we're already suffering from side-character-itis in this story, so yeah... she's not in this. Sorry!) Anyway, this is normally the part where I would answer guest reviews, but I am so honestly burnt out that I'm just gonna skip it this time around. Sorry guys. I've had a really rough week, but I really wanted to give you guys SOMETHING, so here it is. Again, I'm sorry for it, and maybe I'm self hating a little, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. _

* * *

_Chapter 15: Sequence of Drops_

"_Impa?" Zelda asked in a hushed whisper, peering her head out of her bedroom door as her guardian dutifully stood guard before it. Fresh tears were streaming down the twelve year old's face as she sniffled weakly, her eyes red from crying. _

"_Princess, what's wrong?" Impa asked with concern, kneeling down to the young royal's level and placing a tender hand on her shoulder. _

"_I…I miss father!" Zelda sobbed miserably, burying her head into the Sheikah guardian's shoulder as she let out her pressing tears. The king of Hyrule had just died from a horrible illness but only a few hours ago, throwing his sole daughter into absolute despair and heartbreak that her dear father was gone. And indeed, all of Hyrule mourned with her, for the kind king had been beloved by all. _

"_Oh, Zelda…" Impa frowned worriedly, gently patting the princess on the back in order to soothe her. "I know it hurts to lose a loved one, but don't fret. Your father is not suffering anymore like he had been these past few weeks. In fact, I bet he is resting comfortably in the peace of the Golden Realm even as we speak."_

"_But… but he's not here with me!" Zelda cried brokenly, old enough to understand what death fully meant. "I'll never see him again! He's gone, Impa! He's gone…"_

_The Sheikah guardian was silent for a long moment as she simply continued to embrace her young ward, knowing that the pain she was going through must have been intense. After all, the princess was only twelve, still too young to lose the only parent she had left. And what made matters even worse was the fact that since the king had passed on, soon enough, Zelda would be expected to take his place as Hyrule's sovereign, meaning that her already short childhood was about to come to an abrupt end._

"_Impa?" Zelda murmured as she lifted her head from the Sheikah's shoulder, looking to her pleadingly. "Please… don't ever leave me… You're… you're the only person I have left now…"_

_Impa's expression was both hard with determination and soft with sympathy as she nodded in response to the princess's request. "I'm not going anywhere, Zelda," she said, breaking into a small, reassuring smile. "I promised your father that I would look after you, and I will do everything in my power to honor that vow. I will protect you, I will guide you, and I will comfort you. And… if you want, then I'll be both father and mother to you…"_

_The princess nodded solemnly, still clearly hurting but comforted in the fact that she was not alone. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice small as she embraced her caring guardian once more. _

"_Thank you for everything, Impa…"_

"_Impa…"_

"Impa?"

The Sheikah guardian's eyes flew open as her hand wrapped around the handle of her knife that she always kept under her pillow as she slept. Her heart racing from being suddenly startled awake, Impa darted up, holding her knife in front of her only to find that the figure standing at the entrance to her tent was not an enemy, but rather, it was Sheik instead.

"Are you all right?" the Sheikah warrior asked in her usual stoic way.

Impa's expression leveled into a hard glare as she rose from her bed roll, already mostly dressed as she liked to be prepared for any occasion while she slept. She chose not to answer Sheik's question as she posed one of her own. "What do you want?" she asked a bit sullenly, especially upon awakening from a dream in which she had seen the missing princess.

"I came to wake you," Sheik informed her. "Nearly everyone is awake and deconstructing camp. We are almost ready to continue on to Lake Hylia."

"What?!" Impa exclaimed, taken aback. "What time is it? Who ordered the soldiers to get up and prepare?"

"I did," the Sheikah guardian said calmly.

"What made you think that you were allowed to do that?!" the Sheikah guardian asked harshly, knowing that such a brazen action only undermined her authority over the troops. "Why didn't you wake me first?"

Sheik shrugged. "I simply thought that it was the most efficient course of action," she said. "Ruto and Darunia both have their Zora and Goron armies prepared to move out, and our troops are also ready. We're only a few miles out from the lake and so if we move out now we'll reach it in about two hours."

Impa gave Sheik a rather unimpressed look, but decided not to make too much of a fuss over it, as angry as what the Sheikah warrior had done made her. "All right, fine," she said, pressing pass Sheik to see that she had been right: the entire company was nearly ready to set out to their next destination. Impa merely nodded to the Sheikah warrior with the silent command to report to their allies and tell them they were ready to go to where they would hopefully find Princess Zelda as well as the Gate of Souls at long last: the Water Temple.

Upon leaving Death Mountin, Ruto had informed the rest of the group of the reason lying behind the former apparent conflict that had suddenly formed between the Gorons and the Zoras. The ancient Water Temple, buried underneath Lake Hylia's shimmering depths, was teeming with monsters, which had consumed the area in their evil all too quickly. Since the Water Temple was a sacered place to the Zora people, their princess had taken an active step in trying to rid the lake of such beasts. Ruto had gone to seek the help of Darunia and his Goron brothers, since they were longtime allies of the Zoras. And yet, as soon as she had arrived, she had been apprehended by the Goron patriarch, who had of course been out of his senses at the time. Fortunately, he had been freed from whatever influence the princess had supposedly put him under thanks to Sheik, Impa, and Saria, rescuing the Zora princess and revealing a bit about the truth of the matter. Ruto had told her allies that the monsters were pouring forth from what appeared to be a strange, dark gate, something that Sheik and Impa immediately theorized to be the Gate of Souls, which gave them all the more reason to head to Lake Hylia with as much haste as possible. If they could find both the princess and the gate all at once, then their mission in the Era of the Hero of Time was as good as finished.

As soon as the entirety of the collective army was ready to set out, they did so, the force of about five hundred Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons all marching onward towards the lake in the west with their respective leaders at the head. As they walked, the three sages that had joined their party casually conversed amongst themselves, leaving Sheik to be as usually conservative in her conversation as usual while Impa pondered something she had been thinking about since the previous day. According to both Darunia and Ruto, their troubles had all started thanks to Princess Zelda, who had instigated the conflict between the two normally peaceful races. And yet, every time the Sheikah guardian tried to wrap her head around this news, she simply couldn't. Zelda would never be one to cause such chaos, especially when it came to relations between Hyrule's tribes. Something was certainly wrong with this entire situation, and Impa was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Princess Ruto?" the Sheikah guardian asked, breaking through the Zora princess's friendly conversation with the Goron patriarch and the Kokiri girl.

"Yes?" Ruto asked, grace and prestige filling her manner as usual.

"You said that a woman named Zelda was responsible for what happened on Death Mountain?" Impa asked, starting at the basic level. "Are you absolutely certain about that? What did she look like?"

"Well, of course I'm certain it was her!" the Zora princess said with a scowl upon thinking about it. "She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and was dressed in a pink battle gown. What's more was that she wore a tiara, most likely to mock our very own Princess Zelda! The nerve of that woman!"

"Did she say anything when she was on the mountain?" Sheik asked, finally cutting into the conversation.

"Not really," Darunia interjected with a frown. "She just sorta… showed up right before everything went wild. I don't really remember much of what happened after that though…."

"Well, I definitely know what happened before," Ruto said as she crossed her arms. "Right before I left to get the Gorons' help, she showed up in the Water Temple, leading all of those monsters herself as they attacked my people!"

"What?!" Impa exclaimed in surprise. "She was leading them?! Why didn't you say that before?"

"You didn't ask," the Zora princess said with little concern, shrugging as if it were unimportant information. "But all the same, she was consumed by evil unlike any I've ever seen before. It was frightening, to say the least."

"This is unbelievable," the Sheikah guardian said, shaking her head. "Zelda would never do such a thing, especially since those monsters pose a threat to the Hyrule of our time as well! How could she have possibly fallen under the enemy's sway?"

"I don't think she would have easily," Sheik said cryptically.

"What are you saying?" Saria asked curiously.

"It stands to reason that perhaps we are not dealing with the true Princess Zelda, of this time or of the present," the Sheikah warrior went on. However, before she could go on, she was cut off by Impa, who was the first one to realize that they had made it to the threshold of Lake Hylia, only to find a worrying sight.

Lake Hylia was enormous, its deep blue iridescent waters glistening beautifully in the early morning sun as they teemed with aquatic life. A few small islets dotted the surface of the lake, the largest of which held a tall, dying tree and overlooking the lake from the east was a small house bearing a watchtower. The long strip of shore was lush and fertile from the nearby source of freshwater, and yet, it was far from peaceful at the moment as it was littered with marauding stalchildren, stalfos, lizafols, and poes.

However, these beasts did not go unopposed. A legion of Zoras fought against them, utilizing the advantage that they had of the nearby lake as they cut through it to get to their foes more efficiently. And yet despite the resistance they were putting up, it was clear that the sheer force of monsters far outnumbered the aquatic tribe, forcing some of them to retreat in intervals to save their own lives.

"What in the Nayru's name is going on here?!" Ruto shouted as she stepped forward, her fists clenched in rage as she watched the monsters attack her people. "Look at all this chaos! We need to put a stop to it immediately!"

"I agree," Sheik said with resolve as she stepped forward, her harp poised to play. Impa, Darunia, and Saria also prepared to fight, but before the newly arrived forces could leap into the fray, they were stopped in their tracks by a voice that was eerily familiar.

"Hm, invaders," the voice of the princess of Hyrule herself mused from somewhere nearby. Her tone was uncharacteristically cold and dark, but the Sheikah guardian knew it was her from the very moment she heard it and at that moment, everything else became unimportant to her. "Someone destroy them for me," Zelda said from her unknown location, apparently commanding the monsters, just as Ruto and Darunia had said.

"Princess!" Impa called out, placing the base of her naginata on the ground as she looked all over for the missing royal, whom she was hopefully close to finally finding. "Come out here and explain the meaning of this nonsense this instant!"

Zelda merely laughed caustically, still not appearing before them. "You want me, _Sheikah_?" she asked with cruel sarcasm in her tone. "Come and get me."

The blatant challenging and disrespect in the princess's words shocked Impa, who knew that such behavior was far from how Zelda normally acted. Indeed, everything her allies had told her was true; as much as she didn't want to believe it, the princess had apparently fallen into the enemy's control. Or was it really that simple?

"This doesn't make any sense," the Sheikah guardian said with a bitter scowl as she turned to her confused allies. "Zelda would never attack us of her own free will."

"Maybe she really is under the control of an evil influence," Saria suggested.

"Well, whatever started all this, first we gotta take care of these monsters!" Darunia said, heaving his hammer over his shoulder as he prepared to fight.

Impa let out an angry sigh as she nodded in agreement with this plan, as much as she wanted to solve the mystery that had been perplexing her for far too long now. All she could hope for now was that by taking down the enemy forces and closing the Gate of Souls, perhaps they could figure out why Zelda seemed to have turned against them entirely.

And so, the allied forces joined the battle, engaging the monsters head on. There was certainly a great deal of them, but thankfully the combined army of Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons were also fairly formidable as they cut a swath through the numerous beasts. Most of them were gathered on the shore in thick clusters, since the entrance to the Water Temple was buried under the waters of Lake Hylia, which served as a hindrance to the Hyrulian forces as they needed to get into the ancient structure in order to find the Gate of Souls.

Amidst all of the other soldiers, their commanders also fought valiantly, each utilizing their respective fighting styles. Impa tore through the enemy lines with her fiery naginata, running its blazing tip into the skulls of any stalchild that stood in her path. Sheik's fingers danced gracefully across the strings of her harp as her magical songs flowed forth from it, their elemental effects damaging all of the monsters in her wake. Darunia also aided in the fight by plowing his hefty Megaton Hammer into the undead enemy forces, crumbling the stalfos upon impact. Ruto fought with grace and elegance, making use of her special Zora scale to create pools of water even upon land, drowning her foes with each splash and wave she sent their way. Even Saria managed to hold her own despite her smaller stature using the Deku Rod, which harnessed the power of the forest through the aid of Deku Sprouts, which popped up from the soil and attacked the marauding monsters relentlessly. Overall, they were a formidable team, but for as many enemies as they took down, they found that they were still no closer to getting into the Water Temple as they had been when they first arrived.

"Everyone!" Ruto called out over the din of battle, using her scale to raise a wave up before pushing it into several monsters in front of her. "Listen! The only way to get into the Water Temple requires that we open floodgates near the lakeside house! Let's hurry!"

"Sheik," Impa said to the Sheikah warrior who fought not too far away from her, delegating tasks so that they could continue fighting. "You and Saria assist Princess Ruto. Darunia and I will support our allies. Now, go take care of those floodgates! For all we know, Princess Zelda might be in that temple!"

"I highly doubt that…" Sheik muttered under her face wrappings so that Impa couldn't hear her as she raced off along with the Kokiri girl and the Zora princess, making their way to the nearby keep where the switch in question was located. However, as they got to work on clearing it of the monsters roosted within it, Princess Zelda's voice rung out across the battlefield once more, her tone mocking and demeaning as she addressed the Hylian armies as a whole.

"Hyrulean soldiers!" Zelda shouted from her hiding place authoritatively. "Do not continue such foolish resistance against your ruler! Cease fighting for the unworthy, and follow my royal command, or be annihilated!"

The moment Sheik heard this as she continued to fight within the keep alongside Saria and Ruto, she gripped her kunais a bit tighter, a burst of anger running through her. She knew that certainly whoever the enemy commander was, it certainly couldn't be the princess, and because of that that fact, they had a great deal of audacity to try and command the Hylian forces through such threats. But as much as Sheik wanted to expose this fraud, she knew that doing so would also be to reveal her own secret as well, something that she had been doing everything in her power to keep hidden from her allies from the very beginning. However, as much as she wanted to continue her masquerade, the Sheikah warrior knew that the time was soon coming in which she would finally have to step out of the shadows and into the light, as much as it brought fear to hear heart.

As Zelda's harsh rhetoric spread to the rest of the fighting Hylian forces, all of them were taken aback by it. Their own princess, who had been missing for so long now was finally found, only instead of rejoining their ranks, she stood opposed to them, calling for their surrender instead of their support. Admittedly, many of them were torn by this sudden turn of events. Should they follow the command of their noble general and continue to hunt for the Gate of Souls, or should they switch their loyalties to the princess, hoping that she would grant them mercy? Such confusion was certainly a blow to their morale, something at Impa took notice of as they began to murmur amongst themselves in argument, wondering what course of action they should take.

"First Darunia, and now this?" the Sheikah guardian said to herself as she blazed past several bewildered soldiers, rescuing them from a flock of stalchildren. "This is absurd… Zelda would never threaten her own countrymen. Unless…"

"Unless we're dealing with an imposter," Sheik suddenly cut in from behind Impa, having appeared quite out of nowhere. Since the lakeside keep was nearly captured, the Sheikah warrior had left the rest to Saria and Ruto, knowing that she had to get this revelation to her as quickly as possible.

"So you're saying that's not the real Princess Zelda?" Impa asked, arcing an eyebrow skeptically. Sheik shook her head in response as the Sheikah guardian frowned and posed another question. "Well, if that's not her, then who is it?"

"I'm not sure, but whoever she is, we must confront her," the Sheikah warrior said. "If we find her, then I'm certain we will also find the Gate of Souls."

"What makes you so sure?" Impa asked, still somewhat doubtful of what Sheik had suggested. After all, who would go to such great lengths to pose as Princess Zelda in order to beset the Hyrule of this era? However, if the Sheikah warrior's hunch was correct, it would mean that they were no closer to finding Zelda than before, something that made the Sheikah guardian's heart sink, especially considering how close they had been.

"Call it a hunch…" Sheik said vaguely, turning her attention to the waters of the lake as they seemed to drain several feet, a sign that Saria and Ruto had accomplished their task. The water level soon lowered to the point that the long stairway leading from the shore to the Water Temple was cleared, the temple's stone door sliding open now that it was no longer obscured by water.

The allies were quick to regroup on the shore, the Kokiri girl and the Zora princess meeting up with the two Sheikahs and the Goron patriarch as they looked to the steps that sunk into the ancient, formerly-submerged structure. "Well, as you can see, the floodgates are open!" Ruto reported cheerfully. "Now we should be able to enter the Water Temple!"

"But we should be careful," Saria cautioned, holding the Deku Rod upright. "I'm sensing a great deal of evil energy coming from inside…"

"Eh, we'll be able to handle it!" Darunia said confidently, already leading the way to the temple. "Now, let's _pour_ into the Water Temple! Get it? Pour? Ha! Water puns!"

The Goron patriarch let out a hearty chuckle at his own joke, and the Kokiri girl also giggled from the humor of it. The Sheikah women were far too absorbed in the battle as they rushed into the temple, but the Zora princess merely rolled her eyes as her fellow sage, apparently unamused.

"Really, Darunia?" Ruto asked, crossing her arms. "Really?"

"Aw, com'on, Sister Ruto!" Darunia laughed, still apparently in high spirits. "Don't you just wanna _dive _right in?"

Saria laughed once more at Darunia's lighthearted humor, even if Ruto was still unimpressed. "Good one, Mr. Darunia!" the Kokiri girl chuckled brightly.

"Can we be serious for one moment!?" the Zora princess asked with a scowl as she pressed forward. "If I may remind you, we have an important battle to fight?"

"Ok, ok," the Goron leader said, even though he was still grinning. "I'm done. I promise."

"Thank you," Ruto said impatiently. "Now let's get going!"

"_Wet_-ever you say, sister!" Darunia said, but before he could even let another laugh out, he found himself doused with water courtesy of Ruto.

"No more puns!" she commanded angrily, and this time, the Goron patriarch listened, even though he exchanged an amused grin with Saria nonetheless before moving onward.

Meanwhile, Sheik and Impa burst into the Water Temple, ignoring its elegant architecture and multicolored tiled walls and floors as they found that, just like the shore, it was overrun with even more monsters, most likely pouring from the Gate of Souls itself.

"If someone really is masquerading as Zelda, I'll find out who she really is…" Impa said coldly as she fiercely cut her naginata across a line of stalchildren. "And slay her!"

"If only there was some way to unmask this imposter," Sheik mused, noticing that Ruto, Darunia, and Saria had rejoined them.

"We could always use the Lens of Truth…" the Zora princess suggested. "My fiancée left it here in the temple some time ago…"

"Your fiancée?" the Sheikah guardian asked curiously.

"The Hero of Time, of course!" Ruto said with affection in her tone, clasping her hands together as her expression turned dreamy. "He purposed to me seven years ago, and we're going to get married after he saves Hyrule!"

"What?" Saria asked in surprise, concern clearly showing in her expression. "You're going to… marry Link?"

"Of course!" the Zora princess said pridefully. "We make such a perfect couple, after all. It only makes sense that we bond together forever through marriage!"

"Huh, that's weird," Darunia commented. "I always thought he had a thing for the princess…"

"I am the _only _princess for him!" Ruto exclaimed, hiding her envy for the Hylian princess of her time well. "Why else would he give me the Zora Sapphire?"

"You all will have time to gossip about the Hero of Time's love life later," Impa said, clearly growing impatient with this conversation as her and Sheik continued to fight the pressing monsters. "Right now, we have to get that mirror."

"Oh, right!" the Zora princess exclaimed, devoting her attention to the battle once more. "Since a lot of the temple is still submerged, I'll go underwater and find the Mirror of Truth. It should be somewhere nearby. Once I find it, we'll meet back up later."

"Are you sure you don't need any cover, Sister Ruto?" Darunia asked, prepared to follow her into battle.

"Last time I checked, Darunia, Gorons sink like… well, rocks," Ruto said with a teasing smile. "I'll be fine. Water is my element after all."

Though no one was too keen on letting the Zora princess go alone, they found that they had no choice as she was the only one of them able to navigate underwater. And so, Ruto set off while the rest of the troops continued to clear the temple out from monsters as much as they could. The Zora princess cut through the murky waterways of the temple gracefully, her finned body perfectly built for it as she swam towards the central chamber of the temple, hoping that was where she would find the Lens of Truth.

Soon enough, Ruto emerged in the empty central chamber, climbing out of the poor of water in its corner as she glanced around. "Getting in was easy…" she muttered to herself. "Now to find the Lens of Truth itself…"

No more than a second later, the Zora Princess managed to spot a small chest sitting in another corner of the room, a small smile crossing her face as she headed over to it. "Of course my love would leave it right where I would find it…" she said with a small laugh, opening the chest to see the item in question, the Lens of Truth. A Sheikah artifact, the Lens of Truth contained a special magic that could reveal all that was hidden, including illusions and deceptions, exactly what the allies needed to uncover the truth behind the mystery perplexing them.

Satisfied that she had gotten what she wanted, Ruto decided to head back to her allies using the door instead of the waterway. However, right before she could leave, the heavy doors suddenly slammed shut right in front of her. The Zora princess gasped in surprise at this, realizing that she was about to be trapped, but as she rushed towards the pool, she was just a moment to late as a stone slab covered it entirely.

"Oh no…" Ruto whispered anxiously to herself as she held the Lens of Truth close, knowing that she was locked inside of the chamber with no way out. She waited expectantly for something to happen as she pressed her back up against the door of the room, waiting to be beset by monsters, and yet none appeared.

"Hey!" the Zora princess shouted from inside the room, banging on the door as she tried to catch the attention of her allies outside. "Can anyone hear me?! I'm trapped in here! Someone, help!"

Fortunately, Ruto's cries caught the attention of Darunia and Saria, who just so happened to be fending off the enemies nearby as Impa and Sheik tried to find a route to the imposter princess. "Sister Ruto!" the Goron patriarch called out loudly from the other side of the door. "Are you ok?!"

"Yes, I'm fine!" the Zora princess said, only to be startled by a sudden pounding from right outside the door. She didn't even need to see to know that Darunia was banging his hammer against it brutally, trying to get the metal in it to bend and break so she could get out. "Darunia, stop!" Ruto commanded, causing the Goron patriarch to cease so that he could hear her. "You're not going to get anywhere with throwing your brute force around like that! Go and open the floodgates to the east and west. Doing that should free me! Understand?"

The Goron patriarch and the Kokiri girl exchanged a nod as they knew what they had to do. "We're on it, Ruto!" Saria called to the captured Zora princess. "We won't let you down! Come on, Mr. Darunia!"

"Yeah!" Darunia cheered, his hammer at the ready. "Don't worry, sister! You'll be out in no time!"

"I can only hope…" Ruto sighed as she leaned against the door and closed her eyes, knowing that she would most likely be trapped in this chamber for quite a while. However, she didn't have much time to rest, for as soon as she opened her eyes again, she was met with the sight of a legion of monsters, largely composed of stalfos and lizafols, appearing at of thin air. The beasts were quick to surround the Zora princess, who, while taken aback at this sudden turn, was prepared to defend herself against them as she called upon the aquatic powers of her scale to aid her.

"Attention, Hyrulian army!" Zelda's voice sounded out across the battlefield fiercely, stopping both Impa and Sheik in their tracks as they battled. "I have captured your ally, the princess of the Zoras! If you want her to remain safe, lay down your weapons at once!"

"Now, she's captured Princess Ruto?" Impa asked incredulously, her scowl burning with ire for the false princess. "What kind of coward takes hostages…? You insult Princess Zelda's very name!"

Whoever was masquerading as the princess laughed menacingly, in a way that the real Zelda never would have in response to this criticism. "And you all insult the name of the Hylian military!" she mocked hatefully, though she said nothing else as she left the allies to continue duking it out against her monstrous forces.

"We don't have time to trade barbs with her," Sheik said, her tone serious as she threw her knives at a few nearby stalchildren. "For now, we must focus on rescuing Princess Ruto!"

Impa nodded in agreement as the two of them raced onward, searching for a way to free their captured ally from her enclosed prison. Not long into their search, they soon met up with Saria and Darunia once more, all four of them racing through the labyrinthine halls towards the floodgates. They split up once more as they made it to the back of the temple, where the halls diverged in two directions. Once more, the two Sheikahs took off together to the west, while the Kokiri girl and the Goron leader took to the east.

As her allies began to clear the keeps where the floodgates were located, Ruto continued to fight against the enemies in the central chamber alone, her fists tightly clenched as she lashed out at each one. Towering waves splashed everywhere, casing stalfos to shatter and lizafols to drown with each one. And yet, as hard as the Zora princess fought, she found that with each one she took down, another one appeared. She knew that if her allies didn't come to her aid soon, then this battle would never end.

Time dragged on entirely too long as Ruto continued to form whirlpools and sharp splashes to take her foes down with. However, a break in this constant stream of action began to wear down as the Zora princess began to succumb to fatigue. After all, using the Zora scale depended on energy, and so using it nearly even second completely drained Ruto's as she desperately tried to fend off against the unending barrage of foes. And in her tiredness, the Zora princess soon found herself slipping up in a way that was really rather simple, but proved to be costly nonetheless.

As Ruto sent out another wall of water at a line of stalchildren, she quickly began to form another whirlpool underneath several other monsters, hoping to drag them down with it. And yet, she knew that doing so was spreading herself too thin, to the point that she would need a reprieve to recharge herself before launching another attack, something that she knew she didn't have time for. The Zora princess could see the lizafols attempting to go for a low blow as she simply held her arms out in front of her to protect herself for a moment, and though she tried to kick it away, its sharp fangs managed to latch onto her arm fin nonetheless. Ruto let out a pained scream as she kicked the creature again, this time prying it from her fin, but even so, this attack had made the rest of the monsters more brazen. They all began to gang up on her, lashing out at her in her moment of weakness. Many of the stalfos attempted to stab at her with their blades, but fortunately she managed to dodge most of their attacks, even if a few of them still landed. The lizafols continued to try and bite her, having a particular penchant for Zora flesh, and many of them drawing blood. Ruto struggled against them as best as she could, weakly trying to summon enough water to deter them, but she only had enough energy to douse them at best.

However, just when it seemed as though the Zora princess was about to be overwhelmed completely, something that was no less than miraculous happened. The doors on each side of the room suddenly began to rumble, slowly opening up and finally giving Ruto a much-needed escape route. She let out a large sigh of relief upon seeing this before realizing that she had regained enough energy to allow her to surround herself with an orb of water, which she quickly allowed to explode, creating enough of a distraction to distance herself from her attackers.

Not long after the doors finally opened, Impa, Sheik, Darunia, and Saria burst in, expecting to rescue the Zora princess, only to find that she was doing a pretty good job of that herself. Now that the room was no longer enclosed, the enemies finally stopped coming, meaning that they were relatively easy to clear out. But even so, as soon as Ruto saw that her allies had arrived, she gave them all a clever grin in greeting.

"Well, it's about time!" she huffed with insincere impatience. "Taking down the last few stalfos in the room on her own. "I thought you all got lost!"

"Are you ok, Sister Ruto?" Darunia asked with concern for his fellow sage upon seeing the cuts and bruises she had sustained, but the Zora princess merely shrugged them all off.

"I'm fine," Ruto said firmly. "These cretins were nothing the Zora princess couldn't handle!"

"So did you get the Lens of Truth?" Sheik asked, knowing that they needed to nip this problem in the bud before anyone else got hurt.

"Right here!" the Zora princess beamed as she held the Lens of Truth up for all of them to see. "Using this, we can finally unmask our fake princess."

"But we have to find her first," Saria said with a frown. "She could be anywhere in this temple!"

All of them pondered over this dilemma for a long moment before a sudden idea occurred to the Sheikah warrior. To the south of their current location was a long, seemingly unimportant wall, yet even despite that it was surrounded by a cluster of monsters, which was what tipped Sheik off in particular. After asking Ruto to borrow the Lens of Truth, the Sheikah warrior rushed towards the wall, with the rest of the group following close behind her. As they helped cover her from the monsters, Sheik held the Sheikah artifact up to the wall, smiling underneath her face coverings as the wall itself suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Whoa! What happened?" Darunia asked in surprise as the opening in the wall revealed a new room entirely. "The wall disappeared, and then a passage just opened up!"

"It's just like I said," Ruto said with a grin. "The Lens of Truth reveals all that is hidden."

"And it's a good thing too," Impa said, looking on ahead into the monster-infested room only to find one of the things they had been searching for all this time. "Look! That must be the Gate of Souls!" she exclaimed, referring to the dark gate at the end of the room, shadows flowing from it constantly.

Without further delay, they all began to rush forth towards the gate with the intent of closing it once and for all. However, before they were even halfway across the room, their elusive main opposition finally decided to make an appearance at long last. Princess Zelda appeared almost instantly in a dull flash of light, barring their way to the Gate of Souls. They all of course stopped in their tracks, and as they did so, Impa let out a gasp of absolute shock to see the princess, or at least whoever was impersonating her. Even though they were all certain that this woman was an imposter, she certainly looked identical to Zelda, clothing, eyes, hair, features and all. Even her posture was quite similar to the princess's usual grace and form. She even gripped Zelda's treasured rapier in her hand, pointing it towards the allies as she raised an unamused eyebrow at them, a scowl painted on her face.

"I don't know how you fools managed to break my spell on this room…" the princess said coldly, her tone malevolent. "But no matter. You won't be taking another step farther."

"I've had enough of these games!" Impa hissed as she definitely took a step forward, her naginata poised to attack. "Who are you and where is the real Princess Zelda?!"

The false princess merely laughed as she brandished her rapier once more. "Wouldn't you like to know," she said snidely. "You know, your interference is quite annoying… I suppose you leave me with no recourse…" A dark aura surrounded Zelda as she held her blade up into the air, her voice echoing throughout the temple as she shouted loudly. "Come forth, my loyal servant!" she commanded to some unseen entity. "Send these infidels to their watery graves!"

No more than a second later, the entire temple shook, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. Even from their spot in the inner-most chamber, the allies were able to clearly see the large tentacles composed solely of water slam down in front of the entrance to the Water Temple. The Hyrulian troops outside of the temple were all scattered as a large monster materialized in the shallows of the lake. Or rather, _of _the waters of the lake.

"Oh, goddesses!" Ruto exclaimed in horror, already knowing well what this beast was. "She's summoned Morpha, the ancient monster of the Water Temple! If we don't stop it, it will take down all our troops!"

"Well then, why don't we pound it into a puddle before it does!?" Darunia asked with a grin, already racing forward to unleash his fiery hammer on the monster.

"You all go take care of the monster," Sheik said to the Goron patriarch, the Kokiri girl, and the Zora princess. "We'll handle this imposter."

"Got it," Saria said with a nod as all three of them began to head off towards the temple's entrance. "Good luck!"

Once their allies were gone, Sheik and Impa turned to face their foe once more, who simply smirked smugly at them, her rapier held at the ready to attack. "So, you refuse to stand down, even still?" Zelda asked, the look in her strangely pale blue eyes murderous. "Fine. Have it your way. This stand will be your last!"

The two Sheikahs did not bother to give their enemy a response as they both rushed for her, neither one of them holding back. Before anything else, Sheik aimed the Lens of Truth at Zelda, but before its magic could even affect her, she teleported away, reappearing a moment later behind them both. The Sheikah warrior tried again with the Lens of Truth, but each time she did so, the fake princess dodged out of its path, narrowly avoiding being revealed for whatever she truly was. But nonetheless, both Sheik and Impa decided to ignore this fact for the moment, deciding that if they could wear her down enough, perhaps they might finally be able to uncover the truth they had been hunting after for so long.

Meanwhile, outside the temple, Darunia, Ruto, and Saria engaged Morpha in battle. The heart of the aquatic monster was nothing more than a simple amoeba, but it was protected by multiple tentacles composed entirely of water, all of them being fueled by the lake itself. Its limbs moved quickly and wildly, wrapping around several soldiers at once as it pulled them down into the still rather deep waters of Lake Hylia, while throwing others halfway across the shore roughly. But even so, the allies knew they could not be deterred by this. The first thing they did was get to work on destroying its many tentacles, hoping that if enough of them were destroyed, perhaps the amoeba would be easier to reach and destroy.

However, that task was not as easy as it seemed. Morpha moved quickly, meaning that each one of their attacks had to be incredibly precise and fast to meet them. Each time a watery limb smashed down on the temple stairs, Darunia attempted to pound his hammer on them, hoping that he could split them at the very least. However, his movements were a bit too slow to catch up with Morpha, leaving the Goron partriarch only a few steps behind each time. Ruto wasn't having much luck with the monster either, considering that her attacks were all water-based, which only fueled the monster's treacherous tentacles. Saria seemed to be doing the best interestingly enough as she used graceful movements to lash out at Morpha with her Deku Rod, each swipe of it unleashing more of the power of the forest on the creature. As she summoned Deku sprouts to her aid, they often helped in separating the aquatic tendrils, sending what was left of them recoiling back into the lake.

As the trio continued to face off against Morpha, Impa and Sheik found that they were having problems all their own in fighting 'Zelda'. The imposter certainly utilized much of the same grace and agility that the princess showed in swordplay, but the Sheikah guardian who had trained her in the first place was still able to tell that something was off. Zelda often used light magic to strengthen her attacks, but this fake copy of her did nothing of the sort, most likely, as Impa theorized, because she was actually a minion of darkness. Which one, though, there was no way to know.

As Zelda parried towards Sheik, the Sheikah warrior quickly leapt over her thin blade deftly, sending a sharp kick the princess's way. Zelda narrowly dodged her foot, and in retaliation, swung broadly at Sheik, who was already too far out of her range to be hit by the attack. However, the princess also managed to spot Impa as she maneuvered in towards her with her naginata, leaping over the pole before she tried to uppercut her enemy with its tip. Zelda wasn't able to dodge this attack entirely as she got cut on the arm, but as Sheik and Impa both noticed, the princess did not bleed whatsoever. The cut merely left a long purple scar, one that glowed with darkness as she quickly covered it with her free hand and glared at her opponents.

"You little Sheikahs really think you can defeat me?" she asked bitterly, hate filling her tone as she used her magic to close all of the doors of the chamber and send all of the monsters away so she could fight them one-on-one. "Don't make me laugh. Perhaps it's time I show you real power!"

With a wicked laugh, Zelda held her hands up in the air, smirking as a bow, entirely crafted of darkness itself, appeared above her hands, the complete antithesis of the sacred bow of light the princess usually used. Even though Sheik and Impa both circled around her quickly to avoid her range, the princess swirled around just as fast, a shadowy arrow with a burning tip already conjured on her bowstring. Though both Sheikah women were fast, Zelda still loosed her arrow at them nonetheless, aiming more for Impa than Sheik. The Sheikah guardian used her naginata to create a barrier of fire to block the arrow's path, which succeeded, but the princess did not relent. She began to shoot a barrage of arrows at both of them, creating one after another from a seemingly endless supply of dark magic. As she dodged these arrows, Sheik quickly plucked her harp to the tune of the Prelude of Light in an attempt to ward off this darkness, but once again, Zelda was quick to teleport away before the light summoned by it could have too much of an affect.

Outside of the temple, Ruto, Darunia, and Saria were still struggling against Morpha, even with the help that all of the other soldiers were giving. Some of the Hylians managed to cut through the monster's tendtrils with their blades, while the Goron troops chucked any rocks they could find particularly in the direction of the amoeba and the Zoras continued to ward off the other creatures still swarming the lakeside.

"We have to hold our ground!" the Goron patriarch shouted to his brothers, seeing that they were putting up a valiant fight.

"Whatever you do, don't stop attacking it!" the Zora princess shouted, wishing that her abilities were of more use in a fight such as this one. "It's running out of tentacles!"

"Look!" Saria exclaimed, pointing to the gelatinous orb floating near the tip of one of the tendrils hanging over their heads. "That's its weak spot! Let's get it!"

Since she was the first to spot it, the Kokiri girl was the first to proactively go after the amoeba, raising the Deku Rod in the air to summon a full-grown version of the Deku Tree itself. Saria stood on one of its tall branches, and as Morpha began to slam the tendril with the amoeba down upon the tree, she stabbed the sharp tip of the rod into the tentacle, sending it sputtering out of the water and onto the temple's steps.

With Morpha's core no longer submerged, the monster found that it had lost its control over the lake waters. The amoeba rolled upon the steps frantically, desperate to get back into the water before its enemies could overwhelm it. Saria, Darunia, and Ruto all grinned at one another as they surrounded the creature's center on all sides, blocking its attempts. Though the Zora princess wanted to take charge and end the amoeba once and for all, she gave that right to the Goron patriarch instead, knowing that water wouldn't do anything to help in this situation aside from giving Morpha the advantage once more. After heaving the Megaton hammer over his shoulder, Darunia sent the heafty thing plummeting down upon the amoeba, popping it as though it were nothing more than a balloon.

The Hyrulian forces all cheered as their physically largest threat was finally taken out, though the commander was still at large. But even so, the allies reveled in their victory, knowing that it had been won out of teamwork and creativity.

"We did a splendid job, if I do say so myself," Ruto said pridefully, congratulating herself, Saria, and Darunia on a job well done.

"Yeah, we really showed him!" Darunia cheered gleefully. "I'd say he really went out with a _splash_, huh?"

"That's it!" Ruto growled in annoyance, not even hesitating to send a small wave his way, one that soaked the Goron leader, who simply laughed along with the Kokiri girl for another well-served pun.

* * *

It took quite some time for Zelda to reappear, something that certainly kept Impa and Sheik on their guards as they stood back to back, keeping their eyes wide open as they glanced around for their foe. Both of them knew well that she was crafty and cunning, even if neither of them knew who she really was under the guise she had taken up, and so they knew well to expect anything. And yet, the last thing either of them could have expected was the possibility that the princess would get the drop on them from above, which was exactly what she did as she appeared several feet above them, the tip of her rapier aimed at both of them as she let gravity take its course.

Both Sheik and Impa spotted Zelda dropping down towards them too late, but the Sheikah guardian was the only one who managed to leap out of the path of her blade. Though Sheik tried, she found that the princess's needle-like blade managed to catch onto the back of the scarf covering her face, dragging her down to the ground brutally as Zelda landed. The Sheikah warrior held onto the coverings tightly so that her face would not be exposed, even though doing so choked her and pinned her to the ground by the princess's blade.

Sheik struggled against Zelda's hold as she planted her foot on the Sheikah warrior's armored chest firmly, ripping her rapier across the face coverings to that they no longer wrapped around Sheik's face as securely. With a sinister grin, the princess leaned down into the Sheikah warrior's face as she held onto the scarf tightly refusing to let it slip off, even though it could so easily now.

"You know, I've been wondering what you're hiding under that mask…" Zelda cooed wickedly, edging ever closer to Sheik as she simply glared back. "Maybe it's time we find out…"

Instead of using her hand, the princess edged her rapier to the edge of the face coverings, but before she could dig into them and rip them off of the Sheikah warrior's face, she let out a piercing scream. Sheik quickly rolled out of Zelda's grip only to see Impa standing behind her, her naginata blazing with fire that had clearly burned the princess. With a furious shout, Zelda lashed out, thrusting her rapier towards the Sheikah guardian who leaped out of the way skillfully, meeting her blade with the naginata squarely.

"You're not fooling anyone," Impa hissed as her and Zelda glared at each other burningly. "You're nothing but a cheap imitation of the real Princess Zelda. You can never match up."

"A cheap imitation, am I?" the princess asked with a mocking grin "Well, if I'm really not her, why don't you prove it? Take me down. You'll still be no closer to finding your precious princess than you were before…"

The Sheikah guardian's grip on her naginata tightened upon hearing this, pushing it even harder against Zelda's blade. In truth, Impa wanted to get rid of this imposter once and for all, but as she looked into the princess's eyes, though she saw malevolence in them, she couldn't help but remember the promise she had made to protect Zelda, a promise that she had done everything to keep for years, and yet she had failed in it miserably. And in that moment, she faltered.

The princess took advantage of this notable moment of weakness as she finally managed to get the upper hand, breaking the tension between the two of them as she went low, landing a heavy blow against the Sheikah guardian. Impa could do nothing as Zelda's blade ripped across her chest, though her breastplate protected against it becoming fatal. The princess grinned as she began to go in for another attack, but before she could, she managed to realize that Sheik was rushing towards her from behind. Not letting herself be vulnerable to an attack, Zelda spun around and swung her rapier at the Sheikah warrior, who had no choice but to block it with the only thing she had handy: her harp. The sharp tip of the blade ran through all of the sacred harp strings, completely severing them all in one fell swoop. Sheik cursed under her breath as she realized she had just lost her main weapon, but she had no time to even take this fact in as she was suddenly met with a brutal blow to the chest. Instead of coming from the princess's rapier however, it had been a large orb of darkness instead, hitting the Sheikah warrior roughly as she was sent flying back several feet, landing on the ground in semi-consciousness as the chilling darkness of the attack rippling through her body painfully.

Zelda was also quite prepared for Impa's oncoming attack from behind, spinning around once more as she used her free hand to intercept the pole of her naginata. The Sheikah guardian was too surprised at this to pry it away from her, even though she tried, but she was ultimately unable to wrench it from the princess's iron grip. With a loud shout, Zelda yanked the naginata out of Impa's hand and tossed it aside, not wasting a single moment as she stabbed the Sheikah guardian in the shoulder, pinning her to the wall by her blade.

Impa's heart was pounding as she looked over to her run-through shoulder, blood pouring from the wound as it screamed in pain. On the other side of the room, Sheik lay on the ground, spasming painfully from the dark energy still poisoning her to the point that her senses were starting to dim from it. And of course, all the while, Zelda gave Impa a cocky grin, knowing that she had won this battle.

"It's such a shame, really…" the princess said smoothly, not even acknowledging the burning scowl that the Sheikah guardian was giving her. "You came all this way looking for her, only to never find her. It's so strange how someone could just disappear off the face of the earth so suddenly… Unless…" Zelda laughed twistedly as a sharp dagger appeared in her free hand, which she firmly quickly pressed against Impa's neck, almost drawing blood. "Unless she didn't disappear…"

"What are you talking about?" the Sheikah guardian spat, gripping the princess tightly by the arm using her other arm, knowing that she could do nothing with the other one since her shoulder was pinned down.

Zelda's grin deepened, the darkness in her eyes seeming to grow. "Maybe she never really was gone…" she said, her voice dropping down into a sadistic whisper. "Maybe she never escaped that battle back in the field in the first place… Maybe we captured her… Maybe…. We already killed her…"

"Quiet!" Impa shouted, her voice shaking with rage. "Be quiet!"

"How would you feel, Impa…" the princess began, clearly enjoying getting inside the Sheikah guardian's head like this. "If you came so far, searched for so long, only to find out that your dear princess has been dead from day one? Wouldn't it just be so _devastating _to have to go back to Hyrule, only to tell all of its citizens that their beloved ruler is gone? Isn't it just _crushing _to know that she's gone, and that it's all… your… fault… _Sheikah_…"

Zelda didn't even have a second to get any other words out before Impa's infuriated scream echoed throughout the temple. At that moment, she didn't even care about the pain ripping through her shoulder as she pulled it away from the princess's blade, nor did she care about the cut torn across her chest. All she cared about was avenging the true Princess Zelda, the one she had been devoted to protecting for the past several years, who she had dedicated her entire life to serving. And so, Impa quickly turned the tables on the false Zelda, knocking the rapier out of her hand and gripping her by the neck with both hands. The princess choked in surprise as the Sheikah guardian held her up against the wall, shoving her into it brutally as she glared her down, her crimson eyes burning with ire.

"How dare you…." Impa seethed with absolute rage, her grip not loosening around the princess's neck as she continued to strangle her. "If the real Princess Zelda were here, then she would certainly put you in your place!"

"H-how… cute…" Zelda stammered, a sudden grin spreading across her face even as she struggled to breathe. "You… a-act so t-tough… B-but I know… you're r-really a c-coward… Y-you won't… kill m-me… I look t-too… much l-like… her…"

The Sheikah guardian suddenly froze upon hearing this, her eyes widening as she realized this was true. Even if this wasn't the real princess, the resemblance was enough to make Impa hesitate, even if she was fully prepared to kill the imposter for their twisted words alone. However, as conflicted as the Sheikah guardian was, she found that she was saved from having to make this difficult choice as she glanced down and realized that Zelda's rapier was no longer lying on the ground as it had been before.

"You're right," Impa said with a shrug, grinning triumphantly as she loosened her grip on the princess. "I'm not going to kill you. After all, we still have to expose you for the fraud you are!"

At this, the Sheikah guardian finally dropped the princess, stepping out of the way to reveal Sheik, having recovered from her earlier attack and standing before her tall and unfazed, gripping onto the rapier tightly as she pointed it directly at her.

"Don't move," the Sheikah warrior commanded, using her free hand to uphold her face coverings as her scarlet eyes burned with resolve. Without another word, Sheik took out the Lens of Truth, knowing that Zelda would not escape from her this time as she knelt down on the floor, weakly trying to recover from nearly being strangled to death. And with bold movements, she held the Sheikah artifact out in front of her, aiming it directly at the impersonator. A ray of light shot out from the Lens of Truth, its purity causing 'Zelda' to scream as she was thrown backwards towards the Gate of Souls. Her voice became distorted as she cried out, her head thrown back as her very skin seemed to peel away entirely, her form glowing dark purple until the disguise was finally ripped away, revealing who had been posing as Zelda all this time.

Sheik and Impa glared with hostility at Wizzro, not at all surprised to discover that he had been masquerading as the princess only to cause mischief in this era and sully Zelda's good name. The dark wizard's magic had created a believable disguise physically, but in the end, it had been exactly as the Sheikah guardian had said: he simply could not match up to the kindness and goodness of the real princess.

Wizzro glared hotly at the two Sheikah women, clenching his bony hands at his sides as he reeled in hatred at the fact that they had unmasked what had been a perfect ruse. "Impossible!" the dark wizard exclaimed, his voice no longer that of the princess. "How did you fools see through my disguise!? It was _flawless!_"

Sheik took in a deep breath as Wizzro posed this question, realizing that perhaps now was as good a time as any. She had been withholding this secret from everyone for so long now, out of both fear and determination, that perhaps the time to come clean had finally arrived. After all, she only owed it to Impa to finally set her worries to ease after weeks of uncertainty. And so, the Sheikah warrior handed the Lens of Truth off to Impa, who simply gave her a look of confusion as she subtly took a step forward.

"Because," Sheik said calmly, her stoic manner suddenly growing bolder as she held her head high with something that was almost similar to regality. "You can't be Zelda. You could never hope to be Zelda." The Sheikah warrior closed her eyes for a moment, knowing that she was about to risk everything with what she was about to do, but she did not retract from her choice. She had been hiding in the shadows for too long now; it was finally time to return to the light.

"Because…" Sheik continued, not even noticing the fact that Impa was giving her a questioning look as she kept her sights on Wizzro, who simply gaped at her in confusion. Without another word, the Sheikah warrior raised her hand into the hair before quickly bringing it back down, throwing her hands out wide as she quickly spun around. A pink light quickly enveloped her, completely obstructing her from the Sheikah guardian and the dark wizard's view as it intensified to the point that it was completely blinding. And, when the light finally cleared, Impa gasped in absolute shock to see that Sheik was gone, and the last person she ever could have expected stood in her place.

"I am Zelda!" the true princess of Hyrule exclaimed proudly, and this time, there was no denying it. This Zelda did not have the dull pallor of her weak copy, nor were her eyes burning with evil. Her hair was as golden as the morning sun and her eyes were as blue as the waters of Lake Hylia, her battle gown untouched and her sturdy armor glistening with the fading remnants of the magic she had used to disguise herself as the Sheikah warrior. All this time, Sheik and Zelda had been one in the same, and no one had even noticed.

Impa was absolutely floored by this revelation, shaking her head as she blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Certainly she must have been going mad from blood loss. All these weeks of constant searching and worrying, and Zelda had been right by her side this whole time. It was absolutely unbelievable.

"P-princess…" the Sheikah guardian choked weakly, filled with far too many emotions at once to properly take this in. The princess noticed this as she gave her loyal guardian a kind, yet weary smile, already feeling guilty for all she had put her through.

"Impa…" Zelda began, knowing that they had much to discuss. "I'm sorry… I-"

"Well, isn't this welcome news!?" Wizzro suddenly interrupted after the initial shock of the revelation had worn off. "Mistress Cia will be delighted to know that you're still alive so she can have the honor of killing you herself, you little brat!"

Without another word, the dark wizard let out a twisted laugh, and instead of trying to put up a fight he knew he would lose, he simply sunk into the ground, leaving the Gate of Souls unguarded at last.

"Oh no…" Zelda whispered with a frown, already dreading what would happen once Cia discovered she was actually alive. And yet, she did not regret her choice to reveal herself, for now, there were no more secrets, between her, the Sheikah guardian, the hero, or anyone else.

"Zelda," Impa finally said, somehow able to bring herself to say the princess's name. "I… I can't believe this… Is it really you?"

"Yes, Impa," the princess said with a soft smile. "It really is. I promise I'll explain everything, but first, I think we need to close the Gate of Souls, don't you?"

The Sheikah guardian stared at the princess, her shocked expression still not fading even as the two of them approached the Gate of Souls together. Zelda could tell that Impa was still having a hard time taking this sudden twist in, and honestly, the princess herself was having a difficult time adjusting to it. After all, she had spent the last several weeks of her life entirely devoted to upholding a masquerade, and she had done a good enough job that no one had even suspected her true identity. But even still, it felt strange to go by her real name once more, to no longer be clad in the armor of a Sheikah warrior. It would take time to get used to how things used to be, but Zelda knew that she had to do it quickly. After all, her kingdom was still embroiled in a war.

"Let us close this gate together," the princess said, her tone authoritative yet benevolent as it usually was. Impa sobered up upon hearing this and joined Zelda in raising a hand towards the Gate of Souls, aiding her in creating an orb of golden light, one that would counteract the darkness of the gate. Both of them pushed the orb towards the gate, where it met with it in a bright flourish, causing the gate to dissipate entirely.

And of course, the moment the Gate of Souls was closed, the dam of emotions, questions and answers finally burst.

Impa said nothing to Zelda as she turned around, placing her hands on her temples as she continued to try and make sense of all of this. The princess bit her lip apprehensively, knowing that she had a lot to explain and a lot to make up for, especially to her guardian. "Impa…" Zelda began a bit awkwardly, not entirely sure where to start. "I… I'm so sorry I lied to you all this time… It's just…"

"Just what, Zelda?" the Sheikah guardian asked a bit too harshly, knowing that she was stepping out of her boundaries in addressing the princess in such a way. "What exactly possessed you to disguise yourself as a Sheikah and not bother to tell anyone who you really are, not even me?! I'm your guardian, princess! It is my job to protect you! Why couldn't you just let me do that job?!"

"It's… complicated…" Zelda said with a sigh as she came to stand beside Impa. "I wasn't trying to make you feel worthless or unneeded, Impa. Please, don't think that I was. I really wanted to tell you, I really did. But… I… I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what?" Impa asked in confusion, her expression softening a bit.

The princess closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing that it was finally time to reveal all she had been holding inside of her for so long. "I let my kingdom down, Impa…" Zelda whispered shame in her tone. "I ran away from it in its hour of need… I was weak… I hid because I had no other choice, because I didn't know what to do, because… I feared for my life above all else, like a selfish coward…"

"Zelda, I don't understand," the Sheikah guardian said, sensing the trepidation in the princess's tone. "You were fine during the battle in Hyrule Field. You led the troops bravely and stood against the enemy unflinchingly. What happened?"

Zelda glanced away from Impa guiltily, dodging her question with her next statement. "I told you," she said defensively. "I was afraid."

"I know that," Impa said, refusing to let this issue go without getting answers. "But _what _were you afraid of? Zelda, I've been your guardian for over thirteen years now; I know that you're not the kind to shrink away from anything or anyone. Something happened that drove you off, and I need to know what it was."

The princess held onto her arms tightly as she shut her eyes again, holding back tears of remorse over what she believed to be her own pathetic cowardice. And yet, if anyone would understand without thinking her to be a failure, it would certainly be Impa.

"I had just made it back to the castle," Zelda began, recalling what had happened several weeks ago now. "Everything seemed just fine. We had done our job in protecting the castle and there wasn't a monster in sight. I thought that we had come out of that battle completely victorious, until…_ she _showed up…"

* * *

_Zelda was breathless by the time she made it to the throne room, having run all the way there from the battlefield. Her spirits were relatively high from the successful attack her and Link had set in motion courtesy of the Great Fairy. Certainly with the recruit and the Sheikah guardian handling the oversized Dodongo, this battle would be over quickly and relatively painlessly, a solid win for the Hylian army. _

_Letting out an exhausted sigh, the princess closed the stone doors to the throne room behind her, leaning against them as she finally found a moment's rest. However, she soon found that she was not as alone as she had thought, as a sudden laugh coming from the front of the room caught her attention._

"_Greetings, your highness…"_

_With a surprised gasp, Zelda took a step forward as she noticed a figure concealed in the shadows that were draped around her throne. "Who's there?" she demanded, holding her rapier out in front of her as she approached cautiously. _

_The sultry feminine voice let out another laugh as the princess got closer, not answering her question until she was finally able to see the intruder plainly. A woman was reclining casually upon her throne, her clothing incredibly revealing and her mask concealing most of her face. Zelda could sense a great aura of evil emanating from this woman, and so she positioned her blade a bit more offensively, just in case she planned on attacking._

"_Who are you?" the princess asked, glaring at the woman tensely. "How did you get in here?"_

"_I see no reason to waste precious time on a silly interview, princess," the woman said, sitting upright on the throne. "But if you must know… I'm Cia, 'guardian' of the Triforce. You'd be wise to remember my name, because very soon, your kingdom will be in the palm of my hand…"_

_Zelda's scowl towards the woman deepened as she heard this, her grip on her rapier tightening. "So, you're the one who's responsible for all these monsters, then?" _

"_How incredibly insightful of you, princess," Cia said with a sarcastic grin. "Let me guess… You figured that all on your own?"_

_Angered by this comment, the princess pointed her blade towards the witch, refusing to let this new enemy get the better of her. "Hyrule will never be yours," she said firmly. "I will not let my kingdom fall into the hands of evil! Return to the darkness you came from!"_

"_I don't think so…" Cia said, her constant wicked smile not leaving her face. "Not until I finally get what I want… And contrary to what you're thinking, your little kingdom is not my main goal…"_

"_Then what do you want?" Zelda asked, knowing that whatever it was, she would still refuse to appease the witch's demands. _

"_I suppose I'll be frank, then," Cia began, standing up from the throne as she took slow steps towards the princess. "There's a certain… legend, that I'm sure you've heard, princess, that foretells of a great hero that appears every time the land of Hyrule is in danger. The soul of this hero is the most pure one in existence, one unparalleled in valor and courage. And so, I have come looking for the individual of this age that bears that heroic spirit… He is my main desire, above all else, even this kingdom."_

_The princess was admittedly confused, even though she knew about the legends that the witch was speaking of. "And if you find him… what do you plan on doing to him?" she asked, mainly out of curiosity. "Kill him?"_

_Cia gasped in horror at the very suggestion of this, shaking her head insistently. "Oh, goddesses, no!" she exclaimed, offended that someone would even accuse her of such a crime. "I would never dream of hurting him! Once I get my hands on him, I will show him the greatest love and affection one could ever home to have. Far more than any of your kind have shown him, I'm sure…" she said, a hint of disgust in her tone as she crossed her arms._

"_Then why have you come here?" Zelda asked caustically. "I know nothing of any hero, and even if I did, I would not disclose his identity to someone like you, simply so you can have your twisted way with him!"_

"_Oh, I haven't come to you looking for his identity," Cia said coolly. "I already know full well who and where he is. And as much as you try to say otherwise, princess, you know who he is too…"_

"_What?" the princess asked n nervous confusion, trying to figure this mysterious enemy out. "No I don't."_

"_I think you do…" the witch said, her grin fading as her tone hardened. "After all, why else would you risk your life trying to save a dying recruit in the heat of battle if he wasn't important…?"_

_Zelda's eyes widened as she gasped in realization, knowing that her and Impa had certainly found the hero they had been looking for. And so had someone else. "Link…" she whispered almost inaudibly, even though she realized that it did make sense. The recruit certainly did have the makings of a hero, from his skill with a blade to his determined bravery to his selfless heart. If he was to be Hyrule's new hero, then the princess certainly wasn't disappointed with who the goddesses had picked. _

"_Yes indeed…" Cia cooed, her hands covering her heart as she glanced upwards. "He is the one, the hero of this land, perfect in every way imaginable. And he shall be mine and mine alone…"_

"_What if he doesn't want you?" Zelda asked boldly, for some reason strangely bothered by the witch's apparent lust for the newfound hero. "You can't just force someone to love you."_

"_I can if I have no competition," Cia said, her smirk returning as she looked at the princess as though she were prey. _

"_What do you mean?" the princess asked cautiously, following the witch's moves as she began to circle her tauntingly. _

"_Don't act like you don't know," the witch scoffed darkly. "History always repeats itself. I have observed time in its complete scale and I've never known it to do otherwise. In every cycle, in every age, it's always the same exact thing! And I'm sick of it! It's not fair! It's never been fair! He always choses you!"_

_It was clear that Cia had become unhinged by this point, not even caring that Zelda genuinely had no idea what she was talking about. The witch was seething with fury, and the princess backed away from her a bit, thinking that her anger would make her dangerous. However, Cia was quick to regain her composure once more as she straightened the feathers around her neck. "I'll cut right to the chase," she said, her expression serious and her tone icy. "After all, I'm a very busy woman and I'm certain you are too. Though my first intention was to just kill you and get you out of the way, I realized that it would be so much more… interesting for you to watch as the tables of destiny are finally turned in my favor instead of yours… And so, since I'm a merciful person, I'm willing to make a little… bargain with you…"_

"_What kind of bargain?" Zelda asked suspiciously, knowing not to trust the witch under any circumstances._

_Cia finally stopped circling the princess as she came to stand only a few feet in front of her, her hands held behind her back as the piercing slits of the eyes of her mask bore into Zelda's eyes menacingly. "Let me state it plainly," she began, her voice low and sinister. "You WILL keep your distance from him. You WILL stay away from him. You WILL stay out of my way. And if you don't… then I will hunt you down, and I will personally make sure you'll never see him, or anyone else every again!"_

_Zelda's firm glare suddenly faded upon hearing this, knowing that it was nothing less than a threat on her life if she did not meet Cia's demands. However, the princess knew that all of this was absolutely ludicrous. After all, she had only just met Link hours ago. How could the witch possibly think there was any sort of romance going on between then based on their brief interactions with one another. "I'm not afraid of you," Zelda said defiantly, refusing to be pushed around like this. _

"_You should be," Cia said twistedly. "I know you care little for your own life, but I also know that you have much at stake to lose, your highness. Wouldn't it be such a shame if something were to happen to your loyal Sheikah guardian? What about your devoted, noble army? Or even… all of the innocent people who live in your kingdom?"_

_The princess clenched her fists tightly, her anger towards her foe rising at such a wicked threat. "You wouldn't dare…" she began in low rage, but the witch merely ignored her as she went on._

"_Just picture it, princess," Cia continued, her lips curling into a grin once more. "Your kingdom in flames, your people crying out in agony, men, women and children, all dying slow and painful deaths… All because of their own selfish ruler… What a legacy that would be for you to leave behind…"_

"_You're bluffing!" Zelda exclaimed, still trying to keep her cool even though it was clear Cia was getting to her. "You wouldn't possibly take such violence out upon so many people just so you can feed your own lust! No one would go to such extremes!"_

"_Oh really?" the witch asked as she held her hand out, a long, dark scepter appearing in her grip. "Then you underestimate me at your own peril, princess…"_

_Without another word, Cia raised her staff and launched a blast of dark energy at the princes, who was completely unprepared for it as it struck her chest squarely, sending her rapier flying out of her hand. As Zelda struggled to pick herself up off of the ground, Cia quickly rushed for her again, somehow levitating a few feet of the ground as a trail of darkness followed behind her. Before the princess could stand again, the witch was quick to lash out, letting out a wicked laugh as the tip of her scepter suddenly lunched out from its base, the crystal-like jagged orb attached to something of a whip as it struck Zelda's back brutally, drawing blood. The princess let out a cry of pain as Cia whipped her once more, her laughter increasing as her attacks became more and more intense as Zelda grew more and more injured. After another particularly brutal blow, the witch finally stilled her hand for a moment, revealing in the bleeding princess lying on the ground at her feet, trembling from pain and fear._

"_I'll ask this of you one more time, princess," Cia said, leaning down close to Zelda's ear as she tugged her long blonde hair to pull her head up. "Stay away from Link, or die along with the rest of your kingdom. Do you understand?"_

_Zelda let out a small whimper of agony, her back feeling as though it was torn to absolute shreds, which it probably was. She was ashamed for how quickly she had lost against the witch. Certainly, all of her supposed bravery and resilience meant nothing if she could not back it up with action during the moment of truth. And at that moment, the princess admitted to herself that she was afraid of this new threat. She was afraid of Cia and the destruction that she was poised to pour down upon her kingdom. She was afraid of Hyrule falling while under her jurisdiction. She was afraid of failing her kingdom, her people, and herself._

"_Y-yes…" Zelda finally whispered breathlessly in relent, knowing that there was little else she could do. _

"_Perfect…" Cia cooed darkly, finally backing off from the princess, who remained on the ground, languishing in pain. "I do hope you intend on upholding our little bargain, princess… After all, you know just as well as I do what's at stake if you decide not to…"_

_With another triumphant laugh, the witch finally disappeared in a burst of dark flames, leaving Zelda alone in a pool of her own blood. The princess wept softly to herself out of both fear and anguish as she continued to lay there, unsure of what to do now. After receiving the complete and utter beating that she had just gotten at Cia's hands, Zelda knew that the witch had not been kidding on her threats. Certainly, she had the power to not only kill her, but her entire kingdom as well. And as much as the princess wanted to stop her, she knew she was too weak to. She had never even faced so much as a single threat upon her kingdom at all until now, and the one that she was facing was far too insurmountable for her to overcome. _

_Though it was against her usual composed nature, Zelda began to panic as she slowly sat up, letting out a soft cry of pain as she did so. The last thing she wanted was for Impa, or even worse, for Link to show up and see that she had been attacked, lest she fail to keep her end of the deal she had reluctantly made with Cia. Blood was still pouring down her back, staining her dress and her hair crimson as she knelt on the floor and sobbed lightly, shaking her head as she stared at the floor with wide eyes._

_She couldn't stay there any longer. Doing so would put her at risk for being around Link, something that would certainly send Cia into an absolute rage. Zelda knew that she couldn't tell anyone what had happened, not even Impa, as that would only make things worse. The only way the princess could think of to keep both herself and those she cared about safe was to distance herself from them. She had to disappear for a while. To where and for how long, she wasn't sure, but for the sake of her kingdom, it was the only choice she had left._

_And so, before anyone could even realize what had happened, the princess used the last of her failing energy to envelop herself in a golden light, disappearing from both the throne room and the castle completely, without leaving so much as a single trace behind._

* * *

_The glow of the fire bounced on the cave walls as Zelda finished wrapping the bandages around her chest and back, hoping that they would help her heal from the wounds Cia had inflicted upon her earlier that day. Her womanly form was concealed behind the bandages, her armor cast aside as it was far too noticeable and a hood and cloak wrapped around her to protect her identity. The only thing the princess wanted now was to be invisible, or the closest thing to it. She had just abandoned her kingdom in its hour of need after all. _

_After several hours of wandering the countryside, Zelda had finally happened upon a small cave near the mountains and had decided to take shelter there. Even though she had left the castle without anything, she still had the advantage of magic on her side, a skill that she had picked up when she was quite young. With careful concentration, the princess teleported several items from the castle to her current location, including bandages, a small stash of food, her cloak, and even her treasured golden harp, knowing that it had magical properties to it that could certainly prove useful to her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to live like this forever, but for now, it had to make due._

_Night had fallen upon Hyrule, and from her cave, Zelda could see the dim lights of the castle in the distance, her heart already aching with homesickness. She missed the castle, she missed Impa, she even missed Link, and yet she knew she could not see any of them for quite some time, at least not until Cia was taken care of. The princess already knew that the kingdom would be in an uproar without her. Search parties would be sent out, rescue teams would be deployed, and the people would be in turmoil without their leader. Zelda knew that fleeing them was selfish, but in doing so, she hoped that she had saved them from a terrible fate. _

_The princess found a stray tear streaming down her cheek as she looked towards the direction of the castle, praying for the soon coming of the day that she could go home. But for now, she was on her own, with no one else to depend on but herself. And as she came to this bitter conclusion, Zelda let out a long sigh as she lay down on the cold cave floor, which was a far cry from the comfort of the bed she had awakened in just that morning, and fell into a fitful slumber, dreaming of the home she had been forced to run away from._

* * *

_She had been hiding for nearly two weeks. She hadn't used her teleporting magic that much, lest she become easier to track, and so instead she had been hunting using a regular bow instead. Her current lifestyle was much more simple than the royal one she had been accustomed to, but she had grown somewhat complacent with it. As much as she wanted to know how her armies were faring against Cia and her hordes, but she dared not go into any town or village, lest she be recognized almost instantly. And so she stayed to the mountains, sleeping in a different cave each night and moving onward to another one during the day. _

_Zelda was fully prepared to keep up her secretive routine for as long as she had to. That is, until everything changed. _

_It was midmorning and the princess had taken to the treetops to hunt from above. A gentle breeze rustled through the tree leaves, making Zelda feel peaceful as she sat in one, her cloak camouflaging her well. However, this peace was soon interrupted as the princess suddenly caught onto the sound of approaching footsteps. Her heart began to pound as she scaled a bit higher into the tree she was in, making sure she could not be seen as she realized that it was multiple footsteps instead of one person's. _

_Zelda waited anxiously for the group to pass under her, her bow already knocked with an arrow. However, she didn't dare it go when she realized who was passing through, heading in the direction of the Eldin Caves._

_It was the Hylian army, HER army, steadily marching in formation through the sparse forest. A small smile crossed the princess's face when she saw that Impa was leading them, but she found that her smile widened even more upon seeing Link. He marched alongside the Sheikah guardian, clad in the classic garb of the legendary hero, the scarf that Zelda had sown hanging proudly from his shoulders. The princess had never been one to gawk over young men, but at that moment, she could understand well what Cia saw in him._

_Of course, Zelda remained silent as they went by, eavesdropping in on what little pieces of conversation she could hear. _

"_We'll need to cut through the Eldin Caves to get to Faron," Impa said to Link, who nodded in response. "It's a difficult shortcut, but time is of the essence."_

"_Who knows?" the hero said with a small, hopeful smile. "Maybe we won't even have to go all the way to Faron. Maybe Princess Zelda's in the caves."_

"_I hope not," the Sheikah guardian said with a frown. "Those caves are deadly."_

_Impa said something else, but Zelda wasn't able to hear it as they moved out of her earshot, leaving her to think on what she had just heard. They were searching for her. They had come all this way to look for her and try to bring her home. Of course they would. Impa was dedicated to protecting her, and she would not rest until she was safe and sound. Once again, Zelda felt incredibly guilty, knowing that certainly her absence was driving the Sheikah guardian to extremes in trying to find her. _

_And yet, as much as the princess wanted to set her guardian's worries to ease by revealing herself, she knew that she couldn't, at least not yet, especially since Link was directly involved now. Certainly Cia was watching the hero's every move, and so if Zelda were to come out of hiding and interact with him in any way, it would be a great risk. But even so, the princess knew that she couldn't just do nothing forever. She had to help her forces protect Hyrule in any way that she could. But how?_

_As the Hylian troops marched off, the princess got a sudden idea, one that made her smile to herself subtly. Certainly, if she were to disguise herself, she would be able to hide in plain sight among her army, then Cia would have no reason to go after her. Then she could fight for her kingdom without fear of dooming it._

_Not wasting a single moment, Zelda teleported herself back to the cave she had recently spent the night in, knowing that her supplies were still there. Her first idea for a disguise was a Sheikah one, knowing that stealth and agility would be a great asset to her. She knew much about the Sheikah culture thanks to Impa, from their clothing, to their mannerisms, to their legends, and even some of their magic. And so, the princess concentrated all of her magic into crafting a guise that would completely conceal her, sealing the young royal away and replacing her with a bold Sheikah warrior. _

_Zelda closed her eyes as she transformed herself, taking advantage of the fact that her breasts were already bound as she replaced the remnants of her royal wear faded away into light armor, the emblem of the Sheikah tribe central on her chest plate. Her long blonde hair twisted itself into a tight braid, some of her bangs draping down across her face and covering up one eye. To further conceal her identity, she ensured that a thick white scarf was securely wrapped around her mouth and nose, a turban of bandages topping her head as her hair hung out from it. To top the disguise off, she used a special type of magic to shift her eyes from their usual ocean blue into a deep, scarlet red, the classic eye color of the Sheikah. _

_Opening her newly crimson eyes, Zelda saw that she no longer looked like the princess of Hyrule at all. Instead, she looked as though she was an entirely different person, one who would be able to join the ranks of the Hylian army seamlessly and aid in their fight against Cia and her dark forces. _

_From that moment on, she was no longer Zelda. She took up a new name to go with her new identity, one that she vowed to keep until she could return to herself: Sheik._

* * *

"Really, the whole idea for Sheik came from watching you, Impa," Zelda said, finishing up her long tale, which Impa had listened to intently. "I always admired the strength of your people, and… I guess, just for a little while, I wanted to be that strong too, especially after how I weak I had been…"

"Zelda…" the Sheikah guardian said, finally breaking the long silence she had been keeping as the princess explained herself. "You were not weak. You did what you had to in order to protect Hyrule and its people. You took a great risk by coming out of hiding at all, even if you were in disguise. And believe it or not, you fought bravely despite your fear."

"Really, Impa?" Zelda asked with an ironic smile, raising an eyebrow. "But didn't you think that I was really a spy working for Cia?"

Impa let out a deep breath upon remembering this, feeling guilty for ever distrusting the princess. "Zelda, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I really am. I… I was just so worried about you that I didn't think I could trust anyone at all. You just… appeared completely out of nowhere. How did you expect me not to be wary of a complete stranger, expecting to be a part of my tribe, no less?"

"I know…" the princess said with a sigh. "But all the same, I decided to reveal myself now because I realized that I was just… so tired of hiding. I was tired of being afraid of Cia. She isn't the one who decides if my people live or die. I am."

Impa smiled at this, glad to see that Zelda had restored her own courage once again. "Well, your little deception aside, I'm glad to see that you are safe, Zelda," she said casually, knowing that their usual camaraderie could now resume. "So… just out of curiosity, did you ever think of telling anyone at all about your little secret?"

"Actually…" the princess said, averting the Sheikah guardian's gaze as she bit her lip anxiously. 'I… I almost did tell someone…"

"Who?" Impa asked a bit knowingly. "Me?"

"No…" Zelda said guiltily. "I was going to tell… Link…"

"_What_?!" the Sheikah guardian asked harshly, her eyes widening in offense and disbelief. "You mean to tell me that you were going to tell some new recruit you had only known for a few days instead of me, your own guardian and protector?! That makes no sense! I thought the reason why you disguised yourself in the first place was to stay out of Cia's sight! Why would you tell the one person she's after that you've really been at his side this whole time?"

"Well obviously I thought better of it!" the princess exclaimed defensively. "But… I almost did… I really wanted to… You just don't understand, Impa…"

"What don't I understand?"

Zelda sighed as she closed her eyes, bowing her head as she spoke thoughtfully. "Do… do you remember all those stories you used to tell me when I was a little girl?" she asked. "About heroes and princesses, uniting together to save Hyrule from darkness…? Well… I think you've already figured out that Link and I are a part of that… And… we're the only ones that could possibly comprehend our own fates…"

"Zelda…" Impa said with concern, wishing that it wasn't true, even though it was obvious that it was.

"Our destinies are bound…" the princess said critically. "They always have been… The two of us aren't like anyone else in the world. We're reborn over and over in every age, always for the same purpose: to protect Hyrule. I didn't really think it was true until we came here, but… there's no denying it. We're drawn together, which is why I couldn't just stay away from him like Cia demanded. That's why she nearly killed me in the first place. She's jealous of the ancient ties that bind me and Link together. She'll stop at nothing until he's hers."

"So… what should we do?" the Sheikah guardian asked softly, knowing that the princess and the hero certainly had a heavy burden on both of their shoulders, one that no one else could possibly try to share.

Zelda opened her eyes as she looked to the open doors of the chamber they were in, knowing that even though Cia would certainly be aware of the fact that she was out of hiding, she wasn't going to try to keep her distance from Link any longer. After all, why try to hide from what destiny had in store? "We're going to stand against her," the princess said with firm determination and authority, leading the way out of the temple brazenly. "We're going to protect Hyrule from her power. I'm going to fight alongside you, Lana, and Link as myself this time, no matter what Cia threatens to do to me. I'm refuse to hide from her any longer."

* * *

**Ok, so I know this sucked, but I can promise that the next one will be better, mostly because we're going back to Skyloft to see what happened to Link! Yay! I have ton of ideas for that, and thank goodness we're almost there because soon I'll get to write everyone meeting up, which I am super excited for! But yeah, so for now I think I might actually take a little break from writing for a while... I... I'm sorry guys. I really just want to give you all the best stuff I can, but with school and everything, its been really rough. I promise I won't be gone for too long, because I just can't stay away, but for now, I need to take a little break to freshen my skills up and improve so we won't get a sucky chapter like this again. So, to hold us all over, allow me to ask: what character interactions were your favorites in Hyrule Warriors (be they romantic, friendships, or otherwise)? For me, its definitely the hints of Zelink (my OTP), as well as any moment of Cia interacting with Link. I also really liked how Impa was kinda like Link's momboss, which is totally cool! Let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	17. Sealed Ambition

_BOOM! She's back baby and she's reboosted her confidence in the aftermath of finishing her freshman year of college! Yes, my friends I am back and with a chapter that I think is pretty good, despite still being really long :P And so yes the hiatus is over. I'm back and I have all summer to keep this story up, which is good because this is the last chapter in the seperate eras before we get the great reunion. And so, since I dont feel like responding to any reviews (sorry), why don't yet get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 16: Sealed Ambition_

The moment she head the hero's ominous statement, the sword spirit immediately put herself between him and their allies, quickly realizing what had happened to him. Her scanning abilities allowed her to sense the aura of evil surrounding him, one that was both foreign and familiar all at once. Because of this, Fi held her cloaked arms up in order to protect Groose, Pipit, and Karane as they stood behind her, staring at Link with both worry and confusion.

"Link, what are you talking about?" Pipit asked cautiously. "What's the matter with you?"

"Silence!" the hero snapped coldly, an edge of darkness in his tone as he glared unflinchingly at all of them. He was quick to draw his blade, apparently no longer phased by his injured shoulder whatsoever, and held his sword aloft towards them in an opposing stance. "Drop your weapons and stand down immediately or be destroyed."

"Hey now!" Groose protested, preparing to press his way past Fi. "What do you mean, 'drop our weapons'? I think you lost a little too much blood from that wound, Link."

"Enough!" Link nearly shouted as the small spark of red that had appeared in his eyes seemed to shine with violence. "If you will not stand down, then I'll just have to take you down!"

The three youths gasped in surprise as the hero finally lashed out, swinging towards them broadly. However, thankfully the sword spirit stood between them and him, using her metallic cloak to defend them against his sudden strike. "Take caution!" Fi advised the students, who looked between her and Link in confusion as the hero growled in frustration and prepared to attack once more. "Master Link has been infected by a strain of dark magic that has twisted his will into the enemy's control. According to my most recent scan, I am able to surmise that the epicenter of this magic lies within his wounded shoulder, and that it has been activated by none other than Ghirahim."

"Oh, how right you are, my stoic little counterpart…" the voice of the Demon Lord himself suddenly sounded out across the area, alarming everyone save for the hero. No more than a second later, Ghirahim appeared, standing in a triumphant pose right beside Link. Oddly enough, to the surprise of the four allies, the hero immediately lowered himself to one knee, apparently bowing before the demon lord in reverence.

"Master," Link regarded Ghirahim with respect, confirming what Fi had just said. Indeed it seemed as though the demon lord had managed to bind the hero to his malevolent will, changing him from an ally to a foe in a matter of mere minutes. And, considering the skill and courage that Link fought with, having him turned to the enemy's side could certainly prove to be dangerous for them all.

Ghirahim laughed with wicked satisfaction upon hearing this, looking down at the submissive hero with a sense of perverse pride for what he had managed to accomplish. "What an obedient little slave you make, hero…" he mused, placing a finger under his newfound servant's chin and lifting his head up to meet his gaze. "Don't you all agree?" he asked the four allies, turning to them with a knowing smile.

"Hey!" Karane shouted as they all gave their foe a steady glare. "Leave him alone!"

"I concur," Fi said as her unflinching expression took on a slightly defiant shade. "Ghirahim, this is absurd. You cannot hope for this plan to possibly succeed."

"And what do you know about my plans, my dear Fi?" Ghirahim asked almost flirtatiously. "My forces have already lost this little rock up here in the sky, but the Surface below is just _teeming _with possibilities! And instead of being a further hindrance to my plans, I decided to put your little hero to better use by enlisting his aid and the aid of his entire army to help me accomplish those possibilities…"

"Wait," Pipit said cautiously. "You did this to his entire army too?"

"Well of course!" the demon lord chirped pridefully. "I found it rather easy to do too, considering that the boy's own forces don't even listen to him. It was about time they found a… real commander, instead of a mere child, to lead them! And besides, my mistress will be simply beside herself once I hand over the hero to her, seeing as how he is her ultimate goal…"

"Enough!" the sword spirit interjected firmly. "Ghirahim, you must release my master and his troops from your control immediately. Be aware that failure to do so promptly will result in your absolute defeat."

"Hm," Ghirahim scoffed haughtily, stepping away from Link and giving him a nod with the silent command to stand. "How incredibly tactless of you to make such broad threats, Fi. Such rudeness should be punished… don't you agree, servant?"

"Yes, Master," the hero answered almost immediately, that edge of darkness still lingering in his tone as he turned towards his former allies and gave them a cold, heartless, look.

"Well, it's such a shame that I don't have time to stick around up here and join in on the fun, but I simply must be off," Ghirahim said, casually flipping the white hair hanging over his eye back and letting it fall. "I'm already a bit of schedule and I do hate to be tardy. So, I'll just leave you children to your games. Oh, and, hero? You have my permission _not _to play nice."

"Yes, Master," Link said with a surprisingly malicious grin, drawing his sword once more as Ghirahim disappeared in a flash of diamonds. The four allies stood their ground, hoping that they wouldn't have to fight the hero, though they all wanted to be prepared if they had to.

Since he had been told not to hold back, Link didn't hesitate to make the first strike, swinging swiftly and broadly as the youths scattered away from the sword spirit who was protecting them, surrounding the hero at a close, yet safe distance. None of them were really sure about how they were going to go about fighting back against him, and so for the moment, they all took up the offensive against him and tried to get through to him past whatever spell Ghirahim had cast upon him.

"Link! You gotta snap out of it, buddy!" Groose shouted as he somehow narrowly dodged one of the hero's fast jabs.

"Y-yeah!" Karane agreed a bit anxiously, hesitantly raising her bow as she tried to figure out what to do. "We have to stop that guy! Come on! Think about the rest of your army!"

"I am afraid that Master Link will not be able to hear such arguments," Fi informed them, gracefully spinning around the manipulated hero in order to distract him away from the three youths. "Ghirahim has captured his consciousness, and simply trying to call him back to himself will most likely not work. However, I do estimate that there is an 80% chance that removing the magically-imbued knife from his shoulder will possibly free him from this spell."

"80% sounds like a good enough chance for me!" Groose said with a confident grin, glad that there was a way to help their ally.

"But how are we ever going to get him to stand still long enough for us to get that knife out of him?" Pipit asked with a frown.

Fi seemed to ponder this question for a moment, before reaching a logical conclusion. "Follow after me," she said firmly. "Cover yourselves diligently and do not get to close to him. In the state he is now in, consider him to be highly dangerous, however, do not use force against him unless you find that you have to. Now, let us begin!"

Without any further conversation, the allies leapt into action, all of them trying to wear Link down from different angles. The idea behind this strike was that the hero, while both strong and skilled, would not be able to focus on all four targets at once, allowing at least one of them to take him down to the point that he could no longer resist them. However, doing so was not so easy; the hero managed to land a few quick blows on all of them, injuring each of the three youths in relatively minor, but still painful ways. The only one who had not taken any damage was Fi, who, thanks to her metallic form, could sustain much more injury than a mere human could. But even so, Link remained both vicious and diligent in his attacks, no longer capable of showing any form of mercy or restraint as he fought solely under Ghirahim's employ. The battle dragged on for what seemed like ages, no one even able to land so much as a single scratch on the hero, no matter how hard they tried. And yet they did not give up, for doing so would be the same as surrendering their ally into the enemy's hands permanently.

All throughout the fight, Proxi anxiously floated not too far away from Link, but at a distance where he could not easily harm her if he wanted to. The fairy's heart was torn upon seeing her companion be manipulated in such a way, to the point that he could not even remember who he was or what he was fighting for anymore. Instead of the kind, caring hero he had once been, he had been turned into a cold, heartless slave thanks to the demon lord's strange magic. And yet, as Proxi worried for both the allies and the hero, a sudden idea came to her. Though Fi had said that trying to appeal to Link would most likely not free him from Ghirahim's control, perhaps such attempts could prove to be worthwhile distractions to the hero while his allies worked on helping him.

And so, gathering up her courage, Proxi flew in significantly closer to Link, to the point that she was nearly sitting upon his shoulder as he fought. At first, he didn't notice her as he continued to follow the commands of his "master", but he soon caught onto her presence when she began to call out to him amidst the din of the battle.

"Link, please!" the fairy cried, watching his movements carefully lest he try to hurt her somehow. "You have to listen to me! This… this isn't you! Ghirahim is _not _your master, and you would never try to hurt your friends!"

Link didn't bother to respond to her pleas but instead he merely used his free hand to swat at her in annoyance, as if she were nothing more than a bothersome insect. Proxi managed to dodge his hand as he lashed out towards the sword spirit once more, who met his attack squarely with her metallic wing. The two of them pressed against one another for a long moment, as Fi followed after the fairy's plans and tried to make an appeal of her own.

"Master, I know that you are stronger than the magic that Ghirahim has bound you under," the sword spirit said eloquently. "You must find that strength within yourself and break free from it. I recommend that you-"

"No," the hero said rigidly, pressing against her harder than ever as he spoke through gritted teeth. "You do not tell me what I must do. I only take orders from my master, Lord Ghirahim."

"Master, you do not know what you are saying," Fi said, her tone still emotionless as ever. "If you simply stand down and allow us to extract the blade within your shoulder, we can-"

Once again, Link cut the sword spirit off, only this time it was with a frustrated shout as he finally broke the tension between them. Pipit, Karane, and Groose all gasped in shock and horror as Fi was sent recoiling back from the heavy strike the hero hand managed to land upon the blue gem upon her chest, the only part of her body that was really vulnerable.

"Oh no!" Proxi exclaimed upon seeing how Link had damaged Fi, who's ethereal form had shifted back into the Goddess Sword and clattered to the ground so that she could recover. With a renewed resolve, the fairy flew close to her companion once more, more desperate than ever to get him to see reason if she could. "Link, listen! It's me, Proxi! You have to think about what you're doing! The people you're hurting! Think about what might happen if you don't break free from this! All the damage and destruction and pain you might cause! Think about Hyrule! Think about everyone back at home! Think about Impa, and Lana, and Sheik! Think… think about Princess Zelda!"

As if the fairy's words had been filled with magic, the hero suddenly froze up entirely upon hearing the princess's name. His eyes grew wide as the hint of red in them began to waver, but at the same time, his grip on his sword tightened, as if he was at war with himself, which he might as well have been. Link hadn't heeded anything else that Proxi had said save for Zelda's name alone, and some small part of him that wasn't under Ghirahim's control was clinging onto it, trying to free the rest of him as well. In sudden pain, the hero closed his eyes tightly, his shoulder throbbing in absolute agony as he shook his head. Proxi gasped worriedly as she flittered a bit away from him, unsure of what was happening to him. However, she never got to find out as the youths took advantage of Link's sudden weakness. Before he could even try to reclaim his bearings, the hero froze up once more as he sustained a sudden blow to the back of his head, instantly knocking him unconscious as he collapsed to the ground.

"Nice one, Karane," Pipit said as he grinned at Karane, who had managed to finally knock the hero out using a board that had been discarded during the raid on Skyloft.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie," she said with a giggle, giving a sly wink back to her boyfriend.

The three youths all approached the downed hero with caution, but fortunately, no more than a moment later, the Goddess Sword, which was lying on the ground not too far away from them, shifted back into the shape of the sword spirit once more. Fi, having recovered almost completely, examined the scene before her for a brief moment before looking to her allies.

"You have defeated him," she acknowledged with little inflection in her tone.

"We sure did!" Groose cheered triumphantly. "Now we can get that thing out of his shoulder and-"

"I believe that has already been taken care of," Fi said, giving a small, referential nod to Proxi, who had managed to wedge the knife, which was almost as big as her entire body, out of the unconscious hero's shoulder. The blade was soaked in his blood, and as was expected, his shoulder was still torn open, so that was the first thing the allies decided to take care of. While Link was still unconscious, they managed to stitch the wound up and begin to wrap it in gauze, all while Fi scanned the rest of the isle in the sky to see that it was empty of both monsters and soldiers, confirming her suspicions that Ghirahim had whisked them all away to the Surface below.

Still greatly concerned for her companion's wellbeing, the fairy remained close to the hero until he at last began to stir what seemed like ages later. With a pained groan, Link opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing with pain and his shoulder not feeling much better, though it was at least no longer bleeding out as it had been before.

Though it took some doing, the hero finally managed to focus his sights on Proxi, who was standing on his chest and watching apprehensively as he woke up, hoping and praying that he had returned to normal at last. "P-Proxi…?" Link asked with a frown, noticing the look of concern his fairy companion was giving him.

"Oh, Link!" Proxi exclaimed, so relieved to see that he was free once more that it almost drove her to tears of joy. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

Before the hero could even respond, he was bombarded by his allies as he slowly sat up, all of them overjoyed in the same way the fairy was. "Hey! Look who finally came back!" Groose exclaimed with a broad grin.

"Came back?" Link asked in confusion. "Did I go somewhere?"

"You mean… you don't remember?" Karane asked with a frown, but fortunately Fi approached them all and nodded in respect for the hero as she addressed him.

"Master Link, I am pleased to see that you have awakened," she said formally. "Allow me to give you a report on all that has occurred. Immediately following the battle against Volga, the knife that Ghirahim stabbed into your shoulder during our earlier encounter with him began to react to his magic, bending your mind to his will and forcing you to act as his servant. Though we did have to face you in battle, we managed to subdue you and remove the blade from your body and return you to your true self."

"What?!" the hero exclaimed, deeply disturbed by this revelation. "You mean I fought all of you? Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt any of you, did I?"

"Oh, just a few bumps and bruises," Pipit said reassuringly. "Nothing too serious."

"I just can't believe I let that happen," Link said with a hint of shame in his tone. "I mean, one minute my shoulder was exploding with pain and the next thing I knew, I was waking up here. I don't even remember any of that."

"Perhaps that is for the better then," Fi said, watching as the youths helped the hero rise to stand. "But we mustn't linger on this matter for too much longer. There is still the issue of the troops controlled by Ghirahim upon the Surface."

"More monsters?" Link asked, wondering how the demon lord could have summoned more of them so quickly.

"We wish," Karane said with a frown. "That Ghirahim guy cast that mind control spell not just on you, but on all your soldiers too. They're probably all down there helping him even as we speak."

The hero clenched his fists upon hearing this news, remembering the complete disregard for his orders that his troops had shown him earlier. How fitting it was that they had been wrenched out of his control entirely, thrown into the hands of the enemy so that they would stand to fight against him now. But even so, Link knew that he was responsible for his soldiers, something that Impa had told him the moment she assigned them to him. He could not let them be used to carry out Ghirahim's nefarious deeds, even despite the fact that he was still ashamed that he had been weak enough to almost become a sell-sword for darkness himself, had it not been for his newfound friends.

"Then it's up to us to break the spell once and for all," the hero said with resolve. "You said they all went down to the Surface, Fi?"

"Yes, Master," Fi confirmed. "I am uncertain of what Ghirahim's plans are, but I can sense a great amount of darkness gathering upon the Surface. We must make haste if we are to put an end to it."

"Well then, what are we doing standing around here yapping for?!" Groose said, already fully prepared to go with a full stash of bombs. "Let's head on down there and give that creep what for!"

"Wait," Link called to his allies as they began to head towards the nearest dock on the side of the island. "How exactly do you get down to the Surface? We used a column of light to get up here, but I don't think it's a two-way trip."

"Oh, that's right!" Pipit said with a small grin. "You're not from around here. Well then, I guess you'll just have to ride down with one of us."

"Ride what?" the hero asked in confusion.

"A Loftwing, of course," Karane said with a giggle. "Everyone in Skyloft has one. They're our guardian birds, sent to us by the goddess herself."

"You fly around on giant… birds?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow at how strange the concept sounded.

"Looks like he needs a little demonstration," Groose said to Pipit and Karane. "C'mon, guys!"

The couple nodded in agreement as they followed after him, rushing towards the platform, and before the hero even realized it, leaping off of it into the open air. Link gasped in surprise and sudden fear at this, hurrying over to the dock and peering over the side anxiously, wondering how in the world they had been able to jump off of the island so easily. However, he soon got his answer as each of the youths were caught by what they called a Loftwing. The hero marveled at the size of the creatures, as well as how majestic they were as they glided through the air as seamlessly as a horse would gallop across a field. For a few minutes, Link simply watched his allies fly around the clear skies, wondering what it would be like to do the same. But before any of them could return to the island, a large shadow flew over the hero from above, drawing his gaze towards the large Loftwing that soared only a few feet above him.

Link watched in awe as the guardian bird in question flapped its giant wings to stop in midair, before coming to a graceful descent only a few feet in front of him. This particular Loftwing had bright crimson feathers, its color strikingly beautiful as it gazed at the hero intently, tilting its head as he stood before it. Though the hero did not move, the Loftwing took another step towards him, pushing its large beak against him playfully as it let out a loud squawk. Link couldn't help but laugh in amusement at this as he rubbed the bird's beak gently, taking a glance over at Fi who had remained as stoic as ever as she watched the encounter. However, it had not gone unnoticed by the youths as they glided in closer to the island, hovering a few feet above as they all observed the meeting between the bird and the hero.

"Well, what do you know?" Groose said with a chuckle as he looked to Pipit and Karane. "Isn't it ironic that Link's Loftwing decided to come to him?"

The pair nodded and laughed in agreement, but the hero was decidedly confused at this comment. "My Loftwing?" he asked, knowing he had never seen this bird before.

"He's talking about _our _Link," Karane said with levity in her tone. "That's his bird. But, I guess, just like we did, he confused you for him! Might as well get on and ride him; it looks like he's not going to take no for an answer."

"I'll say," Link said with a small laugh as the bird continued to press against him, as if it was trying to urge him to leap off the platform. And though the hero was a bit nervous, he decided to trust the gentle giant and finally relented as he took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and took a leap of faith off of Skyloft's edge.

The sensation of freefalling only lasted for a few seconds before Link suddenly collided with the Loftwing in midair. The giant bird caught the hero squarely, ensuring that he landed upon the saddle fixed onto its back. Tentatively, Link opened his eyes to see nothing but a sea of clouds stretching out endlessly before him. A crisp wind blew through his hair, making both his cap and his scarf flow out behind him freely. And yet the hero ignored both of these feelings as he simply soared through the air, feeling as if the ground no longer existed. And really, did it have to exist? He would have been perfectly content to remain in the sky forever, breathing in the fresh air and feeling what could be described as nothing less than absolute freedom. All the while, however, Link couldn't help but feel as though all of this was somehow familiar, as if he had sailed among in these very clouds on this very bird years ago, but it had since been wiped from his memory by the sands of time.

However, the hero didn't have too much time to be nostalgic as Fi soon appeared, gliding through the air alongside him as the crimson Loftwing carried him in a relaxing glide. "Master, I have a report," she informed him, her robotic voice somehow able to be heard above the rushing winds of the open skies. "According to a thorough scan of the surface, I am able to detect that there is a 96% chance that Ghirahim, his demonic forces, as well as your troops are within an area of the Surface known as the Sealed Grounds. I also sensed a source of great power emanating from that area, from which the monsters attacking both the sky and the Surface are originating from."

"That must be the Gate of Souls!" Proxi called to Link, hanging onto the part of his scarf wrapped around his shoulders so she could keep up with him. "We have to get down there and close it."

"The Sealed Grounds can be accessed via the green pillar of light immediately to your left," the sword spirit said to the hero, having heard what the fairy had told him. "I shall guide the way there for both you and our allies."

Link nodded his thanks to Fi as she darted ahead of him, appearing as but a rush of blue and violet amidst the clouds. The hero took a glance backward to see that Pipit, Karane and Groose were all following after her, and though he didn't know how to control the Loftwing he was riding, the crimson bird seemed to know what to do as it veered to the left, heading for the pillar of green breaking the clouds. Upon reaching the pillar, all four Loftwings did just as Fi did and began to descend, diving down past the cloud barrier dramatically. Link held onto the bird tightly as Skyloft disappeared into the heavens and the Surface opened up below them, though not in it's entirely. The only part of the land that would become known as Hyrule of this era that could be seen was looked to be a large pit from above, spiraling down deeper and deeper into the ground. Standing right in front of the pit was a large, ancient temple complex, and beside it was a thick, lush forest. However, beyond that was the Hyrule of the present, as well as all the pieces of the other two eras that Cia had pulled into it.

"Wow!" Pipit exclaimed as the four youths descended to the surface in tandem. "Is that what the Surface is going to look like in the future? It's amazing!"

"It doesn't always look like that," Link said, feeling a bit homesick for the present that didn't seem so far away from up here. "But yeah…" he said with a fond smile, especially upon looking towards Hyrule Castle far in the distance. "It is pretty amazing…"

Soon enough, their flight to the Surface came to an end as the four Loftwings came to land within an empty makeshift stone keep, depositing their riders within it before they quickly took to the sky once more. The youths immediately decided on making this abandoned keep their base, seeing as how it was positioned within a convenient spot near the pit, though it was quite a ways from the temple. As soon as they were settled in, Fi turned to the allies, the only four that were able to stand to fight for the Surface instead of against it and offered her first report.

"We are now in the Sealed Grounds, so named for the great evil sealed here by the goddess Hylia long ago," the sword spirit articulated. "The Statue of the Goddess that has returned to Skyloft, was once part of this land, but upon the black witch's interference, it was sent back to the sky along with the Goddess Sword and myself. To the north of our current position is the Sealed Temple, and I can estimate with 99% certainty that Ghirahim, as well as the Gate of Souls, await within its walls. However, getting there will prove to be difficult, as I detect large hordes of enemies, including the twisted soldiers, guarding the way. Remember, the world's fate, as well as the safety of the future, rely on our success."

"Then our first job should be returning the soldiers to normal," Link said firmly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "There aren't many of us compared to them, so we'll have to split up. You guys try and find a way to free them without hurting too many of them. Fi, what's the quickest way to the temple?"

"The northeastern path should be the most immediate, Master," Fi said after a brief calculation.

"Then you and me will go that way and work on taking Ghirahim and the Gate of Souls down," the hero said, drawing his sword in preparation for the oncoming battle. "We'll regroup here when we're done. Let's go."

The group parted ways upon the hero's orders, the three youths beginning their advance to the west by taking down any bokoblin in their path and carefully evading any soldier they came across. At the same time, Link and Fi raced for the temple's side entrance, carving through the enemy forces with skill and ease. They encountered relatively few fallen soldiers along the way, but when they did happen to see one, they were merciful and merely knocked them out instead of hurting or killing them. Unlike the hero, the source of the magic controlling the rest of the troops was unclear, meaning that they would just have to beat the answer out of the demon lord if they were unable to figure it out for themselves.

It didn't take the hero and the sword spirit too terribly long to reach the Sealed Temple, but when they did, they were quick to find that the heavy stone doors would not budge whatsoever. "It's locked!" Link said with dismay, aggravated that nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. However, before Fi could even make a suggestion, another voice cut her off instead.

"Already here, are you? So impatient…" Ghirahim's scoff sounded in the immediate area, giving both the hero and the sword spirit that he was somewhere nearby as they raised their guard. Soon enough they spotted him standing high atop the gateway of a nearby keep, his arms crossed and his posture as pompous as usual. "Perhaps haste may be in my best interest after all…"

Fi and Link did not respond to his condescending comments as they both took an offensive position against him. The demon lord merely rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers, teleporting down to their level in a burst of diamonds. "Looks as though you were lucky, hero," he said, giving a biting glare to Link. "I suppose I underestimated the intelligence of your allies. It's a mistake I won't make again."

"You won't get a chance to make it again," the hero said, provoked against his enemy more than ever after what he had done to him earlier. "We're going to defeat you and close the Gate of Souls before things can get any worse."

"Try if you must, but I must assure you that there is no hope for your victory," Ghirahim said, shaking his head knowingly. "All your little soldiers are mine now, hero, and by all rights, you should still be to."

"I belong to no one," Link declared defiantly, gripping his sword even tighter.

"Such an annoyingly independent little spirit you have, boy," the demon lord said caustically. "No wonder Mistress Cia has such a penchant for you… You know, I don't normally do this, but since I'm feeling awfully giddy today, I'd like to make a little deal with you, hero."

"Whatever it is, the answer is no," the hero said crossly. "I'm through playing your games."

"Now, now, hero," Ghirahim said with a dark chuckle. "Show a little patience. This deal could prove to benefit you as well… if you're quick enough… So, here it is. I'll give up on all my well thought out plans and ambitions and surrender the Gate of Souls _if_, and only if you manage to set all of your troops free from my control before they come to completion."

"And if we don't?" Link asked warily, tensing up the slightest bit as the demon lord took a step closer to him.

Ghirahim merely laughed for a moment, a sinister grin crossing his face as he looked at the hero both tauntingly and maliciously. "Then all of them, including you, will belong to me," he said darkly. "Forever. Allies or no allies. And I'll make sure that this time, you are handed over to Mistress Cia quite promptly. So… do we have a deal?"

The hero did not respond immediately as he simply glared at the demon lord, wanting to turn this wager down immediately. After all, if he lost, then he would not only be sacrificing his entire army, he would also be giving up his own freedom, falling into Cia's hands and giving her the one thing she wanted. And yet, at the same time, if he did manage to succeed, then the path to the Gate of Souls would be immediately opened, finally bringing peace to this era and getting them one step closer to their overall goal. Certainly, it would be a way of avoiding harming any of the lost soldiers, setting them free from Ghirahim's control all in one fell swoop. And though Link was apprehensive, he slowly nodded in agreement with this deal, even though it was against his better judgement.

"Alright," the hero said coldly, understanding well the consequences of what could happen if he lost. "You have a deal."

"Master," Fi cut in, trying to convince him against this course of action, but before she could say anything, Ghirahim interrupted her.

"It's not polite to butt in, my dear," the demon lord said to the sword spirit snidely. "Very well then, hero," he said to the hero, who simply took in a deep breath and held his ground, resolved to beat his foe at his own game. "The clock is ticking. Good luck. You'll need it…"

With another snap of his fingers, Ghirahim disappeared once more, shouting out an order to all the troops he had cast his spell upon. "Come now, my minions!" he shouted, alerting all of the turncoat soldiers. "Let's show these children what our fangs look like!"

With this command, all of the traitorous soldiers immediately grew fiercer in their attacks across the battlefield, something that Pipit, Karane, and Groose all noticed as they fought against them. Link and Fi also saw this as a group of turncoats rushed for them, and, knowing they weren't getting into the Sealed Temple through any conventional means, they sprang into action defending against them.

"Any ideas on how to cure them, Fi?" Link called out to the sword spirit as he blocked one of the soldier's brutal attacks.

"I am currently in the process of searching for one," Fi said, springing elegantly as she knocked out a few soldiers in succession. "Assisting with their clarity is our main priority at the moment, of course, but until we can figure out how to do so, I suggest trying to secure the battlefield as much as possible."

The hero nodded, knowing that capturing keeps would be a difficult effort since they were so vastly outnumbered, but even so, he continued to edge onward alongside the sword spirit. Both of them fought tactfully, only killing the monsters in their path as they tried to cause minimal injury to any of the turncoat soldiers; they were still part of Hyrule's army after all. Link and Fi both knew better than to try and reconcile with any of them, seeing as how it wouldn't work thanks to Ghirahim's magic. They knew they only had a limited amount of time to free the lost troops, but neither of them had any idea how long the demon lord's mysterious plans would take, meaning that they could lose at literally any moment. The stakes were high and the pressure was on, but even though the odds were against them, they refused to give up now, especially the hero, who knew that the fate of not just his allies, but perhaps the entire history of Hyrule, rested upon his shoulders.

"Master," the sword spirit alerted the hero just as he finished knocking out another soldier with the flat side of his blade. "I have completed my analysis of the mutinous troops and have reached a conclusion. In order to purify your troops from the dark spell infecting them, we must-"

Fi was unable to finish her statement as she was suddenly cut off by the thin rapier tearing through her chest from behind, shattering her blue gem entirely. The sword spirit made a small noise akin to a gasp, while the hero nearly dropped his sword in shock at what had just happened. Time seemed to freeze as Link watched with wide eyes as Fi's form flickered for a moment, her expression still emotionless as she all too quickly retreated back into the Goddess Sword, falling to the ground to reveal who had stabbed her.

The hero could do nothing but watch numbly as Ghirahim stepped forward, deftly picking up the fallen sword and running his fingers down its sharp edge. "That was a close one," he said haughtily, shaking his head as he gave a dark smile to Link. "If I had not shown up when I did, then she might have revealed the secret behind my little spell, and where would the fun in that be?"

"Let her go!" Link demanded, aiming his sword at the demon lord who had gone too far this time by cutting perhaps his most helpful and loyal ally down.

"Oh, I don't think so, hero," Ghirahim said coyly. "After all, I'm sure she's just dying to give you her little report once she wakes up, so I'll just be taking her with me. And I'd hurry if I were you, boy. If you don't save your soldiers soon, then you'll be joining her…"

With a malicious laugh, the demon lord teleported away before the hero could catch him, unfortunately taking both the Goddess Sword and Fi with him. Link let out a sigh of frustration as he realized that that he was at even more of a disadvantage now without Fi's helpful insights and skill in battle.

"What do we do now?" Proxi asked Link, noticing the sudden anxiety in his expression as he looked around to see a group of turncoat soldiers surrounding him.

The hero took in a deep breath, exhaustion already starting to wear upon him. Without Fi's help, the chances of winning this battle had been drastically decreased. And yet, Link was not about to resign himself to an eternity of being nothing more than Cia's toy. "We keep on going," he said with resolve, starting by bashing his shield into the soldier nearest to him. The circle of turncoat troops was quick to close in on him, many of them landing blows upon him, but Link ignored them all the best he could, retaliating just as fiercely. As much as he didn't want to hurt any of them, when push came to shove that was what he found that he had to do.

The hero felt instant regret upon downing one of his own soldiers by inflicting a rather heavy cut across their chest before avertedly stabbing one through the shoulder. However, as guilty as such unavoidable acts of violence made Link, the skirmish was far from one sided. The hero let out a hiss of pain as a spear sliced across his back, followed by a thick cut torn across his arm. And yet the blow that brought him down came about only after his sword bounced roughly across one of the turncoat soldiers' shields. Link recoiled at the unexpected resistance, but as he raised his blade to attack again, it was suddenly met with another one from behind, one that wedged it out of his grip. Though the sword fell down to the ground right behind him, the hero had no time to reclaim it as he was quickly grabbed by both arms and thrown roughly to the ground. Link's initial reaction was to try and rise again, but as he turned his head, he was quickly met with the sharp tip of a sword pointed directly at his throat, a soldier at the other end of it ready to kill him on a moment's notice. The hero was quick to recognize this soldier as one of his captains, or even more specifically, one of the many who had disregarded his leadership earlier. Link glared up at him defiantly from the ground, noticing that several other weapons were being pointed right at him courtesy of the large group of turncoats all around him.

"All infidels who stand against Lord Ghirahim must be eliminated," the turncoat captain said icily. "Surrender to his command, or die."

"Never," Link said firmly, refusing to fall into the enemy's hands once more.

"Then fall, in the name of our master, Lord Ghirahim!" the turncoat captain declared, the tip of his sword starting to slightly dig into the hero's collarbone. However, before he could cut too deep, he suddenly let out a cry of pain and began to collapse to the ground, much to Link's confusion. What bewildered him even more however was the fact that all of the nearby soldiers also stopped and dropped their weapons, many of them shaking their heads and muttering to themselves in confusion.

"Looks like we bailed you out yet again!" Karane said with a joking laugh as the hero glanced up to see that she had been the one who shot an arrow into the captain's back at just the right moment, Groose and Pipit joining her.

"Thanks," Link said with sincere gratitude as he rose to stand, reclaiming his sword and glancing around at the confused soldiers all around them.

"Hey look!" Proxi exclaimed, calling the hero's attention to the fact that all of the soldiers seemed to be questioning what was going on, as if they did not remember their traitorous actions of just a few moments ago. "I think defeating the captain freed some of the troops!"

Link's eyes widened as he noticed this, knowing that it was true. Upon knocking the turncoat captain out, the rest of the troops under his command had been freed from Ghirahim's spell. And as the hero came to this conclusion, a sudden idea came to him; perhaps the key to breaking this controlling enchantment was to repeat this exact same process throughout the battlefield.

"The captains…" the hero muttered to himself in realization. "Of course! Listen up!" he called to his nearby allies, knowing that in all of the confusion, they were still the only ones who could accomplish this task. "Defeating the captains returns the soldiers to normal. We have to take them down. There should be about four more of them in the squadron."

"But they could be anywhere around here!" Pipit said, glancing around only to find bokoblins surrounding them now. "How are supposed to find them?"

"I wish Fi were still here," Link said with a frustrated sigh, knowing that now defeating Ghirahim also meant rescuing the lost sword spirit. "She would know where they were…"

However, right as the hero was saying this, as if Fi herself had heard him pining for her, four towering pillars of light materialized at different points all over the Sealed Grounds. The four youths could all immediately see the beacons, and it didn't take them too long to figure out that certainly they were pointing them in the direction of the turncoat captains. Link smiled softly upon seeing them, knowing that they must have been Fi's doing, yet another service she was providing to him even though she could not be with him physically at the moment. Once again, the loyal sword spirit had proved her invaluable worth by providing for yet another miracle.

With merely a confident nod of confirmation, the four allies were quick to split up, each heading towards a different beacon. Captains of the Hyrulian army could be easily picked out from the other soldiers by the large shields that they bore, painted with the design of the Hylian crest upon them. But even more so, the youths were able to quickly locate them thanks to Fi's beacons, which seemed to follow them wherever they went. Of course, all of them were surrounded by other soldiers, but taking them down proved to be relatively easy; Groose, Pipit, and Karane all handled their respective captains with ease, and in doing so, freed large portions of the army from the demon lord's hold. As Link approached the final captain and engaged him in battle, he almost expected Ghirahim to make an appearance and try to stop him, but for some reason or another, he didn't. The hero let out a large sigh of relief as he knocked the final turncoat captain out, releasing the last of his troops and winning the deal he had begrudgingly made with the demon lord. Thanks to Fi's intervention and the aid of his other allies, Link could rest easy, knowing that he wouldn't be turned over to Cia after all.

A wave of momentary calm washed over the Sealed Grounds in the after the Hylian soldiers were all freed from their enchantment. Most of them were still recovering from it as they regrouped and tried to make sense of what had happened to them, but before the hero could even attempt to check in with any of the soldiers under his employ, the voice of the demon lord could be heard throughout the battlefield, specifically directed at Link, who stood his ground and gripped his sword tightly in defiance.

"Oh, so I see you've figured it out, haven't you, hero?" Ghirahim said, disappointment and dry sarcasm lacing his tone. The demon lord paused for a brief moment to let out a slightly unhinged laugh before continuing. "How unpleasant! Normally, I suppose congratulations would be in order, but considering your little sword spirit cheated and unevened the battlefield, I feel no need for any such obligation. Truthfully, I feel annoyed at this continued intervention. Since you can't learn to play fair, I see no reason why I should either. If you and your troops can't learn to follow my direction… then I shall do away with them!"

The hero barely had a moment to let these words sink in before the ground began to shake violently, nearly knocking all of the soldiers scattered throughout the Sealed Grounds off their feet. An aura of darkness rushed forth from the Sealed Temple, one that was so thick and powerful that all could clearly feel it.

"Link!" Proxi exclaimed, directing the hero's gaze away from the temple and to the bottom of the pit instead, where a thick cloud of pitch black darkness had gathered, one that was growing with each passing second. "Look!"

The inky blackness had all coalesced around the stone spike staked into the center of the pit, as if there was something buried underneath it that was just begging to be released. The earth continued to quake greatly as all eyes turned down towards the center of the spiral, everyone watching with baited breaths to see what might possibly happen next.

The rumbling of the ground only continued as the skies above the Sealed Grounds started to grow dimmer and darker, the darkness flooding the pit so much that very little could be seen of the ground. However, it began to rise from the bottom, towering into the sky and repelling nearly every Hylian soldier by its mere force alone. And, when the darkness finally began to settle and clear, they were all able to see a beast that was far beyond anyone's comprehension.

It was a behemoth of a monster, a massive creature that towered at least ten stories tall, dwarfing every single human upon the battlefield to near insect proportions as it rose out of the ground. Its entire form was covered in sharp, black scales and dark, flame-like spines ran down the length of its back. Its wide mouth was lined with several rows of dagger-like teeth and resting atop its head was the spike that was once dug into the ground, the very thing that had sealed it away. It had no arms, but its feet, while relatively short and stubby, were large enough to crush several humans underneath them all at once. Attached to its otherwise inky black feet were four white appendages on each one, most likely its toes, which stirred up the dust upon the ground and caused it to shake with each slow step it took.

And yet, even despite the great clamor the beast was making as it slowly but surely began to shuffle its way up the spiraling pit from the very bottom of it, Ghirahim's wicked laugh of triumph could still be heard from the temple. "The Gate of Souls has revived my true master!" he proclaimed with perverse delight. "Tremble in fear, all who oppose him! Bow to his awesome might, all of you pathetic humans! Surrender, or face your destruction to his great power!"

Most of the Hylian troops were too petrified with fear at the mere sight of this monster to even heed the demon lord's words. Never before had any of them ever laid eyes on such a creature, and the mere aura of evil that it was putting off alone was enough to make most of them tremble where they stood. And yet, one among them did not cower in fear at the sight of this great beast, but instead stood firm and ready to oppose it, even despite the danger that it posed. Link glared at the monster unflinchingly as he gripped his sword tightly, standing upon one of the higher levels of the pit as he was nearly able to look at the beast face to face. For some reason that he couldn't quite place, this creature seemed oddly familiar to him, as if he had seen it before somewhere, but he knew he had no time to focus on that now. It needed to be defeated before it could cause too much damage.

"W-what is that thing!?" Proxi yelped as she flittered around Link in a frightened panic.

"It doesn't matter," the hero said rigidly already starting the long trek down the pit so he could encounter the monster and put an end to it. He knew well that the demon lord had broken the deal that they had made, not that the hero had expected him to keep it anyway, but all the same, he knew what he had to do to protect both this era of Hyrule and every one that followed after. "We're going to defeat it and finish this battle once and for all."

"But how?" the fairy asked worriedly, glancing around at the multiple huddles of terrified troops all around them.

Link also looked around to see all of his troops refusing to fight against such a giant foe, knowing that if left as is, they would be ineffective in repelling it. However, it was at that moment that the hero remembered something that Impa had once told him relatively early on in their search for the princess, specifically as they were traveling to the Eldin Caves: _"An army can only be compelled to act against incredible odds when there is a confident leader standing at the helm." _Link took in a deep breath as he let this piece of advice repeat over and over in his mind. It was certainly true; the only way any soldier in this army would ever want to stand against such a fearsome creature would be if they had someone boldly leading the way. And seeing as how he was the one appointed to be in charge of these troops, the hero knew that perhaps it was time for him to step up and take charge, instead of stubbornly trying to fight an entire war on his own.

"Everyone, listen!" Link called out as loudly as he could, knowing that he was only really reaching a faction of his troops thanks to the monster's rumbling roars. "We have to get down there and start attacking that thing immediately! We don't have any time to waste!"

"Are you crazy?!" one of the nearby soldiers asked, the terror in his voice obvious. "Just look at that thing! We'll all be killed!"

"I'm not trying to say it won't be dangerous," the hero said boldly, turning to face his troops as he spoke with confidence, hoping that it would inspire them. "But if we don't stop that thing, then who will? That monster isn't just putting the Hyrule of this era in danger; it's putting our Hyrule of the present in danger too. We don't need cowardice right now; what we need is bravery from every last one of you. So, all of us are going to go down there and fight that thing together, we are going to defeat it, and I won't hear any more complaints about it! Now, let's move out!"

For a long moment, the entire company was completely silent as they all stared at their second general, as if they were debating with themselves about what they wanted to do. But all the same, Link continued to stand resolute before them, giving them all a hard expression that proved he was not backing down this time. And, sure enough, his bold words and clear determination at long last garnished at least some form of respect from his otherwise rebellious troops as they slowly began to group together behind him, somehow allowing him to lead the way down towards the pit. The hero nodded in satisfaction and slight relief as he they steadily made their way down to the pit, hoping to catch sight of Groose, Pipit and Karane somewhere along the way. However as the monster continued to slowly inch its way up from the bottom, the voice of the sword spirit herself caught Link's attention, mostly likely because she was managing to speak to him and only him from her blade, which was still trapped by Ghirahim within the Sealed Temple.

"Master…" Fi said in her usual robotic tone, finally recovered enough to at least deliver the hero a message, even though she could not emerge from the Goddess Sword quite yet. Link nearly stopped in his tracks to listen to her, but he continued to lead his troops down the pit all the same as he paid close attention to whatever she was about to tell him. "Allow me to offer you a brief analysis on this monster before you fight it. This monster is known as The Imprisoned, and it is an incarnation of one of the greatest evils in history: the demon king himself. It was sealed away here by the goddess Hylia eons ago after trying to devour the world and claim the Triforce of the gods. In this era, it was defeated by my previous master, but Ghirahim has managed to call upon it from the past thanks to the Gate of Souls. I am unable to ascertain its motives aside from causing sheer destruction to these sacred grounds and all lands beyond it, and therefore it must be stopped immediately. Attacking The Imprisoned's toes and then concentrating force to the spike atop its head will provide the most tactical advantage in defeating it."

The hero smiled upon receiving this information, glad for Fi's always helpful advice. "Thank you, Fi," he said more to himself, believing that the sword spirit wouldn't be able to hear him from such a distance, but much to his surprise, she could.

"You are welcome, Master," she said respectfully. "I await you here within the Sealed Temple and I wish you luck in this battle."

Link nodded in response, him and his troops finally reaching The Imprisoned close to the bottom of the pit. "Attack its toes!" he called to the nearby soldiers, who, while still unnerved at the mere size of the monster, had all drawn their weapons as they stood to oppose it. "We need to bring that thing down to our level!"

For the first time, the troops did not question the hero's commands as they all rushed forward, tackling its bulbous toes on all sides. It was tricky work, considering the fact that The Imprisoned did not stop moving as they attacked it, and so avoiding its thunderous footsteps was anything but easy. A few unlucky soldiers managed to get caught under its giant feet, most of them sustaining fairly heavy injuries, but there was no time to stop their assault now. Link lead the strike as his own sword, paired with the swords and spears of several other soldiers, plowed into The Imprisoned's toes until they all burst one by one, leaving the giant monster with no center of balance. The behemoth let out a piercing roar as it began to crash to the ground, and all of the soldiers made sure to clear the way as it collapsed and rattled the earth, leaving the sealing spike on its head within reach.

Link was the first one to rush towards the spike, leaping as his as he could so that he could reach it. He managed to get about three blows in, all of which caused the spike to dig a bit deeper into The Imprisoned's head, before the monster roared once more, raising its head to throw the hero off. Then, despite that fact that it was no longer standing, the monster somehow propelled itself forward, slithering upon the ground upon its stomach as though it was a snake. Despite its size, it was somehow faster as it moved like this, its wide maw open and ready to rip anything or anyone that got in its path apart as it slid upwards towards the temple. Several soldiers got caught up in the unexpected attack, but most were quick enough to dive out of its path and follow behind the hero as he chased after it, knowing that the less damage it did, the better.

However, instead of simply rising to stand once more, The Imprisoned apparently had another idea in mind. Indeed, it rose up from the ground, somehow respawning its toes as it did so, but instead of standing, it began to levitate off of the ground entirely, placing even more distance between itself and the Hylian troops. Those on the ground watched in both awe and terror as a dark halo formed above The Imprisoned's head, the monster gaining more and more altitude with each passing second. No one had no idea how it was able to do such a thing, but it finally came to a halt above one of the keeps on the upper ring of the pit, one that the allies had claimed against the bokoblin forces a while ago.

"Master," Fi caught Link's attention once more as The Imprisoned opened its sharp-toothed mouth and a plume of darkness began to gather within it. "Beware. The Imprisoned is amplifying its magic strength to destroy an important keep. I advise taking immediate action against it in order to secure the keep and bring The Imprisoned back down to your level."

"Yeah," the hero said with a nod, looking up towards the unreachable monster just as the rest of his soldiers were. "But how in the world are we going to do that?"

Before Link could even try to think of a plan however, a bomb flower was launched out of the endangered keep, vaulting towards The Imprisoned and exploding as it struck it directly in the face. The monster recoiled in pain at the strike, and, unable to maintain its flight, quickly plummeted to the ground it had just risen from, crashing down upon it completely stunned.

"Oh yeah!" a voice cheered up from the upper ring. Link glanced away from The Imprisoned for a moment to see Groose standing beside a catapult-looking device loaded with a bomb, Pipit and Karane defending him from bokoblins from not too far away. "Now that's what I call an explosive landing! Serves that scaly punk right for thinking he can show his ugly face around here again! He's no match for the good ol' Groosenator here!"

"The Groosenator?" the hero called back up towards him, unable to suppress an amused smile at that name.

"Yup!" Groose replied with a chipper grin, giving the Groosenator a pat. "I built this beauty a while back when that thing was threatening this place the first time. Still works like a charm though!"

"Great!" Link said with a confident smile, knowing that this device could certainly work to their advantage in slowing The Imprisoned down. "Keep firing bombs at it. We can't let it out of this pit!"

"Got it!" Groose said, giving the hero a salute as he began to load the Groosenator up with another bomb. Back within the pit, The Imprisoned was still wriggling upon the ground as several soldiers struck towards its spike, all of them seeming to grow more and more progressive as the battle waged on. They got a few good hits in before the monster began to slither once more, plowing its way ever closer to the top of the pit before it stopped once more, this time opting to walk instead of float.

True to his word, Groose continued to use the Groosenator to launch bombs at The Imprisoned, hindering its progress as the Hylian troops went for its toes once more. Repeating the process was tedious, but it was clear that the monster was starting to wear down as its steps became more sluggish and clumsy. Once more, Link fought among his troops, slicing fiercely at The Imprisoned's toes in slight exasperation, for, like the rest of the soldiers, they wanted to bring this droning and dangerous battle to an end at long last.

Though it had taken some doing, the Hylian troops had nearly managed to knock The Imprisoned down once more. Only one of its hind toes remained on its left foot, and as all of the Hylian soldiers expectantly cleared the way, anticipating its fall. However, one lone soldier, most specifically, the hero himself, remained behind, brutally slashing away at the last toe until it burst. However, right at the moment when it finally did, The Imprisoned was struck squarely by a bomb courtesy of the Groosenator. As a result, the monster began to stumble and fall backwards instead of forward as it had before, or most specifically towards Link, who was still directly behind it. The hero's eyes widened as he watched The Imprisoned begin to fall upon him, and though he was mostly able to get out of its way before it landed, his lower right leg still managed to get caught under some of the monster's heavy weight.

"Link!" Proxi screamed worriedly as the hero collapsed to the ground, letting out a sharp cry of agony as he instinctually pulled his leg out from under The Imprisoned, even despite the pain it caused him. Oddly enough, on the outside, his leg did not appear to be too damage. His boot had been ripped off and while his foot was bent at a rather awkward angle, his leg looked mostly fine. But Link knew there was no mistaking the sheer agony he felt upon even trying to move it so he could stand up again.

"Goddesses," he groaned in both aggravation and pain. "I think it's broken…"

"Oh no!" the fairy exclaimed, flying in close to him. "What are we going to do?"

The hero paused for a long moment to catch his breath and attempt to still his racing heart as he looked around. Already his troops were running past him, carrying on with the mission by attacking the sealing spike, which was exactly what he wanted them to do instead of paying him any mind. It was clear that The Imprisoned was close to being defeated, but even then, there was still the matter of ousting Ghirahim before he could use the Gate of Souls to call the monster back once more. And considering how dangerous of a foe the demon lord is, Link knew that he could not back out of this battle now, even despite his apparently broken bone.

And so, instead of answering Proxi, the hero closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, knowing what he had to do, despite the fact that it would be incredibly painful. Fortunately, he had been taught in his training as a recruit how to set a bone back in place, but he didn't even have to have experience to know it was a painful process. So, without any further hesitation, Link leaned over and grasped his leg, pushing down on it as hard as he could with the hope of getting the bone to shift back in place. The fairy forced herself to look away as he let out a loud, pained cry, one that was racked with absolute agony as it continued until, what seemed like ages later, the bone finally clicked back in place.

"Oh, Link…" Proxi said with sympathy for the hero, who was still breathing heavily as he tried to recover from the immeasurable pain he just put himself through. "Are… are you going to be ok?"

Link simply nodded, still unable to speak due to the lingering mind-numbing pain as he pulled out his emergency bottle of red potion, which he had been saving for just such an occasion. Though he knew it was wasteful, he downed the entire bottle all in one fell swoop, knowing that it would largely take away the pain in his leg and allow him to walk again for a little while, even though it wasn't a long term fix. If he didn't get the break treated properly soon, then it could cause permanent damage.

It took some doing, but after a few moments of struggling and steadying, the hero somehow managed to stand once more, unsteadily taking a few experimental steps away from The Imprisoned, which thankfully was still lying prostrate on the ground. The sealing spike was nearly wedged all the way into its head, but Link could tell that one more heavy strike would finally do the trick. And so, even though pain filled each step he took, the hero slowly limped towards the spike, his soldiers all watching him with wide eyes as they parted ways for him, amazed that he was still standing despite the heavy injury he had just sustained. Link didn't acknowledge their show of newfound respect at the moment however, his attention completely devoted on finishing the task at hand. With a loud shout of both pain and determination, the hero stabbed his sword straight upward into the sealing spike, finally running it completely into The Imprisoned's head. The monster let out a piercing roar once more as its large body shook and flailed in an attempt to stay alive. And yet, it had sustained too much damage; as one more bomb dropped down upon it from the Groosenator, The Imprisoned finally stilled before its entire form exploded into a burst of darkness which quickly dissipated away.

The Hylian army let out a collective sigh of relief as their huge foe was finally vanquished. As Link leaned against the side of the pit for support so that he wouldn't have to put as much weight on his leg, he heard Fi communicate with him once more from her vessel. "Master, I can report that The Imprisoned has completely vanished, and that its presence can no longer threaten the denizens of this era, or any other one. You have done well. Certainly you are the true Hero of Hyrule."

The hero smiled softly and simply nodded in acceptance of her congratulating words, but what really caught his attention was the sudden round of cheers coming from the troops. Confused, Link turned to face them only to see that they were all looking towards him, apparently applauding his success in leading them and taking The Imprisoned down. The hero had never really been cheered for before by such a large group, but as he heard several of them calling his name in approval, he realized that was exactly what was happening, though he had no idea how to really take it. Perhaps he was a bit too modest or humble to accept their praise, or maybe he was just too tired from the battle, but all Link really did in response to finally gaining the respect of his troops in full was smile back a bit bashfully. Indeed, he had done as Impa had instructed him; he had been the confident leader that Hyrule's army needed, the leader that had trail blazed the way to success in this arduous battle.

However, despite the celebration of the Hylian army, the battle was still not finished yet, within the furthermost chamber in the Sealed Temple, the demon lord was completely beside himself by how his mastermind plan had just fallen apart.

"Unbelievable!" Ghirahim scoffed to himself in disbelief, shocked that the hero and his ragtag troops had managed to defeat his master. "That… that _boy_! How did he-?" The demon lord clenched his fists tightly at his sides as he let out a frustrated shout. "This shall not stand! This hero is even more of an aggravation than the sky child was! If he wishes to be such a bother, then I shall certainly give him someone to contend with!"

"No, you shall not," a robotic voice spoke from behind Ghirahim, causing him to turn around and see that Fi had finally transformed back into her sword spirit form, fully recovered from the injury he had sustained upon her. The demon lord scowled at his counterpart bitterly, but the sword spirit simply remained as resolute as ever in her expression as she hovered above the ground as she usually did. "My master is currently injured, and so I shall oppose you in his stead. There is an 80% chance that we are equally matched in strength, meaning that unlike your tactics, this shall actually be a fair fight. Do you accept my challenge?"

"Hold on a moment," Ghirahim said, cracking a sardonic smile as he began to circle Fi slowly. "My darling Fi, you don't really mean it, do you? You know that I would completely obliterate such a weak little creature like yourself…"

"Your approximation of me is incorrect," Fi retorted, circling the demon lord in the same way. "I am no less formidable than you are, Ghirahim."

"Would you like to prove me wrong then, Fi?" the demon lord asked, his voice low and almost sensual as he teleported directly behind the sword spirit, wrapping one arm around her waist as he gently ran his other hand along her jawline. Fi showed no sign of fear or disgust on her straight face, but instead kept her blank gaze directly ahead of her.

"Yes," she said before surprising Ghirahim by quickly spinning out of his grip, repelling him by holding her winged arms out so they could strike him and knock him back. "I would."

With a dissatisfied frown, the demon lord snapped his fingers, producing a long onyx rapier out of thin air, which he was quick to point at the sword spirit. "Very well then, love," he said coldly, a murderous look in his eyes. "No matter how many times it takes, I promise I will shatter you to pieces and blow you aside, all before your little 'master' gets here. Then, I'll do the very same to him!"

"The chances of that happening are unlikely," Fi said formally, holding one of her arms out as the duel began. Ghirahim was quick to take the offensive by rushing towards his counterpart, but unlike him, Fi was calm and levelheaded in the face of battle. The sword spirit gracefully twirled out of his path, stopping a small distance away from him as she held her cloak out wide and sang a single note in her robotic tone, a flower-like design appearing on the ground below her. Ghirahim managed to get caught up in it and immediately recoiled in pain from the pure light emitting from it, but he was quick to retaliate by sending several small knives flying in Fi's way. The sword spirit blocked most of them with her cloak, but the few that did manage to hit her caused no real damage to her metallic form. The demon lord growled in aggravation as he thrust his sword out at her, hitting her neck and sending her back a bit, but she was quick to transform into the Goddess Sword and slash at him in return. Ghirahim was ready for this however as he made a transformation of his own.

Dark diamonds covered the demon lord's form as he shifted into his true form, one that looked quite similar to Fi's. Ghirahim's skin turned black, white diamond patterns tracing throughout his entire body as his scarlet cape disappeared. The gem on his chest turned a shadowy shade of black and his hair shortened and curved to the point at the top of his head just as Fi's did, his eyes turning blank and white, though there were still no less malicious.

The sword spirit remained in her blade form only long enough to slash at the demon lord, but his new form provided him with extra defense. He repelled her using a much larger sword than he had used before, a dark, thick claymore. As Fi transformed back, Ghirahim was quick to land a heavy blow upon her from above, letting out a wicked laugh as he did so. The sword spirit let out something akin to a cry as she glanced down, seeing that the demon lord had managed to sustain a crack upon her gem, though it wasn't enough to bring her down. Instead, Fi resumed fighting against her counterpart, spinning deftly as she held her arms out wide, striking at Ghirahim repeatedly and getting a few strikes in before he attempted to hit her with his claymore once again. This time, the sword spirit avoided it, countering him by kicking him in his chest roughly and somehow making contact with his gem. Just like Fi's gem had been cracked, Ghirahim's also managed to sustain damage, making them both equal in that regard.

"How dare you!" the demon lord shouted in agony, appalled that the sword spirit had somehow managed to hurt him at all. "You have no idea how long it took to polish this gem to perfection!"

Fi did not offer a response as Ghirahim let out an angry shout, reverting to his original appearance. The sword spirit shifted into the Goddess Sword briefly as he did so however, slicing across his back from behind before she moved away from him to regroup and transform back. The injured demon lord sent a flurry of knives her way, all of them aimed directly towards her gem, but it was clear that by this point, Fi had gained the upper hand due to her relaxed manner and lack of unbridled fury. If there was one thing that the two blades did not have in common, it was their drastically different personalities.

"I will give you one last chance, Ghirahim," the sword spirit said stoically. "Stand down, or face defeat."

"Never!" the demon lord nearly screamed in absolute fury, refusing to be beaten by his counterpart, whom he viewed as inferior to him by far. With another enraged shout, Ghirahim rushed towards Fi blindly, grinning almost insanely as he noticed that she did not take up any sort of stance against him whatsoever. However, right before he ran his blade through the sword spirit's gem once more, she glided high into the air, revealing a third figure had entered the battle and now stood to oppose the demon lord instead.

Ghirahim let out a small gasp of shock as his saber met with Link's sword, the hero swinging broadly in order to knock him back. Since the demon lord was unprepared, he stumbled backwards until Fi returned to the battle, transformed into the Goddess Sword as she stabbed him directly in his chest, where his gem would be if he were in his true form. Ghirahim let out a cry of pain as he was thrown to the ground, rolling across it roughly several times before he re-gathered his bearings, landing squarely on the ground in front of the Gate of Souls, which rested at the back of the chamber.

"You bothersome _fools_!" the demon lord shouted in raw rage, holding his rapier out beside him as he glared hatefully at both of them. "You both shall fall to my blade and be buried in the bloodbath that I will ensure all by myself across this land!"

"I don't think so," Link said confidently before he held his sword out, rushing towards the downed demon lord as quickly as he could despite his broken leg. Fi was quick to follow after him supportively, but she could see that her master could handle the job. Ghirahim had barely risen to stand completely before Link was upon him, leaping high into the air before bringing his sword down upon the demon lord unforgivingly.

Ghirahim could do nothing as the sheer force of the blow knocked up back roughly, letting out a pained, angry shout as he was sent flying backwards. The demon lord's scream died out as he was repelled into the Gate of Souls itself, disappearing into its pitch black depths, finally defeated.

"Master," Fi said as she landed from her high position directly in front of the Gate of Souls. Link stood before it as well, breathing heavily as he tried to recover the exertion he had just put upon himself. "Raise your sword skyward and then bring it down. I calculate that there is a 100% chance that doing so will close the Gate of Souls and stem the tide of monsters in this era."

The hero nodded as the sword spirit cleared out of his way, watching as he followed her instructions and raised his blade into the air. Thanks to Fi's intervention, a golden light from the heavens surrounded the sword and as it reached its peak brightness, Link brought it down and let the light go, sending it flying right into the center of the Gate of Souls. The purity of the light enveloped the gate, and as it spread out, it quickly dissipated the Gate of Souls until it was at long last no more, revealing another, much more benevolent looking gate behind it.

"What is that?" Link asked curiously as he looked at the gate, which looked something like a clock, bearing the mark of the Triforce at its center and the emblems of the three golden goddesses on it as well.

"This is the Gate of Time," Fi said eloquently. "It is a portal that transcends the sands of time, much like the Gate of Souls. However, it is primarily used for travel as opposed to summoning monsters."

"Really?" the hero asked with interest, leaning up against one of the walls of the temple. "You don't think I could use it to get back to my own time, do you?"

"I am afraid not," the sword spirit said. "According to my calculations, this Gate of Time is dormant, meaning that you will have to return to your present in the same way that you came. I apologize."

"It's ok," Link said with a small shrug, knowing that it would be a trek to get back to the present, but at least his mission in this era had been successful.

"Master, it is my duty to serve you, and in that duty, I will accompany you wherever you may go, including to your time," Fi said, once again showing her loyalty. "I consider it an honor to fight alongside you."

The hero couldn't help but smile upon hearing that, knowing that he would be glad to introduce his allies in the present to the incredibly helpful sword spirit. "Thank you, Fi," he said with sincere gratitude. "For all your help."

"I am merely preforming my duty, Master," the sword spirit said, still as mysteriously stoic as ever.

The hero and the sword spirit had no more time to privately converse as their other allies soon arrived on the scene. Link greeted Groose, Pipit, and Karane happily, glad to see that they were all alright in the aftermath of the difficult battle. Now that the fight was over, they all had time to rest and relax, as well as converse more about both the battle they had just fought and about each other in general. And, seeing as how it was already approaching nighttime already, the hero and his forces agreed to spend the night in the area, before returning to the present the next day. However, despite all of the levity and the celebrations that were going around in the aftermath of a battle successfully won, no one was able to see the figure lurking in the shadows, keeping a close eye on the hero and nothing else.

Cia smiled darkly to herself from her well-concealed hiding place as she watched Link supervise his troops in setting up camp within the Sealed Grounds. The black witch knew that with this Gate of Souls, they had all been closed, but that didn't particularly matter to her so long as she would still be able to get her hands on the hero eventually. Her plans had been eschewed a bit, but that didn't matter; she would just go back to the drawing board and formulate a new one, all centered around her ultimate goal this time, which was even more than merely conquering Hyrule. She wanted Link, and she would do whatever she had to, kill as many as she needed to and destroy as much as she had to just to get him.

"Soon, my love…" Cia whispered softly, her violet eyes staring into his light blue ones, even though he did not see her gaze. "Very soon… The stage has been set for the final act of our little game of cat and mouse… Darling, you may not know it yet, but you and I are meant to be… You will see… You will love me… and _only _me…"

* * *

**Ok, so we are at last done these era chapters, which is great because next chapter we will have everyone reuniting and meeting and I have some great interactions planned for that. So yeah, it will mostly be a break chapter next time, not a lot of action, but you know we need that, so hooray! Now of course, before we go, let's talk weapons. What was your favorite weapon in Hyrule Warriors (any character)? For me, i'd like to say that I like using Young Link's Fierce Deity Mask, as well as Epona (for Link). Let me know your answers in your REVIEWS! And also before I go, I'd just like to say thank you so much for all of your kind hearted words in the reviews for the last chapter. Your kind encouragements really kept me going and I really cant thank you all enough. And so as I'm off to go celebrate my birthday (which is tomorrow), I wish you all the best. Until next time! :D**


	18. Reunion of the Ages

_Ok, so we have a REALLY loaded chapter right here, what with everyone meeting, all the introductions between them, backstories, oh and not to mention Zelink! :D Can't help it, they the OTP so if you aint for it, then deal! (sorry if that was kinda mean, but whatever) So yeah, this is super long and really jammed packed with a lot of stuff, so I won't keep you here too long! Let's get to it!_

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_Chapter 17: Reunion of the Ages_

The bright orange afternoon sun shined down bright upon the brittle, earthen ground of southern Hyrule. It was a largely abandoned place that few ever saw need to go to, but it was about to become filled to the brim with the bulk of Hyrule's army as a bright light flashed across the rocky earth.

Lana, Agitha, and Midna were the first to arrive. Considering the deal they had made to take down Cia together, the Twilight Princess had of course demanded to accompany the white sorceress to the present, which Lana had allowed seeing as how Midna had shown she was more than capable of handling herself. Though the members of the Resistance were excellent allies, they had dutifully decided to stay behind in their native era, opting to take care of all of the remaining monster still plaguing the land. The insect princess, on the other hand, was a different story. Both Lana and Midna had tried their best to convince Agitha to remain in the era of Twilight, the young girl was insistent upon going with them, innocently claiming that she wanted to continue "playing" with her newfound friends. Of course, the white sorceress and the Twilight Princess both knew she was referring to fighting, a very dangerous activity for such a wide-eyed, precocious child to engage in. And yet, Agitha was adamant. It took a near temper tantrum on her part to get the two older women to agree to bring her along, though even as they did so, Lana made an unspoken vow to herself and the insect princess that she would not let anything happen to such a friendly, kind-hearted young girl, even in the heat of the no-doubt violent battles ahead of them.

The trio arrived in the Hyrule of the preset through a portal that Lana had created, instantly transporting them from the Twilight Realm to the earthy space. The white sorceress's forces also followed, dismissed by their young leader to go out a ways to set up camp while her and her allies waited for everyone else to show up.

"So, this is what Hyrule's gonna look like in the future, huh?" Midna asked, her hands on her hips as she looked around with an unimpressed look on her face. "And I thought the Hyrule of my time was empty…"

"Well, this is only a small part of it," Lana said with an amused grin. "I thought this would be a good meeting place for us and my other allies to reunite. They should be here anytime."

"More friends?" Agitha asked with a cheerful smile, glancing up from the Goddess Butterfly perched on her finger. "Hooray! We're going to have so much fun together!"

The Twilight Princess rolled her eyes upon hearing this, not even bothering to make a sarcastic remark as she turned to the white sorceress. "So… do your other allies know about… you and Cia?" she asked, remembering everything Lana had told them about her connection to the black witch before they left the era of Twilight.

Lana sighed and shook her head, realizing that she would have to come clean to them too once they returned, especially now that the Gate of Souls had been closed in each era. "No," she said with remorse in her voice. "I haven't told them… I guess it's because I was… ashamed to let them all know that I had been too weak to stand against the evil presence that found its way into Cia, into us… I didn't want them to think that I was on her side in all of this…"

"Well of course you're not on her side!" Midna exclaimed as if it were obvious. "You couldn't be any more different than Cia!"

The white sorceress smiled at her ally, glad for the reminder that her and the black witch were no longer one and the same. Unlike Cia, Lana still had her morals in check. "Thanks, Midna," she said, feeling a little less burdened. "I just hope that they can forgive me for lying to them this whole time…"

"I don't see why they wouldn't," the Twilight Princess said with a smirk, glancing over at Agitha, who was happily engrossed with an ant mound she had happened across nearby.

Before the white sorceress could say anything else, a flash of light shined across the area briefly, signaling the appearance of a new portal. Fortunately, Lana had thought ahead and, upon creating the portal that she, Midna and Lana had used, she also connected to the portals in the other two eras, redirecting them so that they would all conveniently end up in the same place in the Hyrule of the present. The Twilight Princess only casually glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment as the white sorceress watched with anticipation to see who would arrive first, wondering if it would be the hero or the two Sheikahs. However, who did come through the portal caught her by surprise quite a bit.

Lana watched with wary confusion as a metallic, feminine-like figure glided gracefully out of the portal, her winged arms hanging down at her side and her expression cold and emotionless. This mysterious being locked her gaze onto the trio of young women who stood before her, all of them giving her awed, wondering gazes.

"Who-" the white sorceress began to ask, but before she could even get another word out, she was interrupted by the insect princess.

"Wow!" Agitha exclaimed with absolute delight, rushing forward towards the empty-eyed figure. "You're the biggest butterfly I've ever seen!"

"Correction," the ethereal being said in a monotonous voice. "I am not an insect. I am the spirit of the Goddess Sword, created by the goddess Hylia. My given name is Fi."

The insect princess frowned a bit in disappointment upon finding out that the sword spirit was not a butterfly as she had hoped, but she quickly got over it by continuing to hunt for bugs nearby. All the while, however, Lana and Midna continued to stare at Fi in amazement, neither of them really sure of what to make of her.

"So… what exactly are you supposed to be again?" the Twilight Princess asked, placing her hands on her hips as she gave the sword spirit a caustic glance.

"The spirit of the Goddess Sword," Fi said calmly. "Are there any further inquiries that you have, Princess of Twilight?"

"Wha- How did you know who I am?" Midna asked, taken aback.

"I am knowledgeable in many things," the sword spirit articulated eloquently. "Through my scans, I am able to deduce the identities of most objects and beings, including yourself." She paused for a brief moment, looking away from the awed Twilight Princess to turn to the equally wide-eyed white sorceress. "You are the white sorceress, the one called 'Lana', correct?" she asked, though it was clear she already knew the answer.

"Um… yes," Lana said, blinking her shock away. "Yes, I am."

Fi nodded in confirmation before she continued. "My Master sent me ahead of him to tell you that he shall be arriving here shortly," she reported. "He wished to bid farewell to our other allies who were unable to accompany us to this era."

"Your… Master?" the white sorceress asked, raising an eyebrow. However, before the sword spirit could offer an explanation, another figure stepped through the portal, one that Lana did recognize this time.

Link let out a sigh of relief as he arrived back in his own time, struggling to walk a bit with the temporary makeshift crutch he had forced himself to walk with in light of his still-injured leg. However, he wasn't that concerned with it as Fi had assured him that with a bit of fairy magic, it would heal almost immediately, which gave the hero no excuse to keep his other allies waiting. Though Link had tried to convince Groose, Pipit, and Karane to join their efforts in standing against Cia and her forces in the present, they had humbly turned him down, knowing that the damage done to Skyloft would have to be repaired and that their assistance would be needed there. And so Link and Fi had gone alone, the sword spirit vowing to accompany the hero in battle regardless of any obstacles that stood in their way.

"Hey!" Lana smiled happily upon seeing the hero safely return as the Twilight Princess had gone back to watching the insect princess as she frolicked around, hoping to keep the young girl safe in case anything were to befall her. "Look who's back! How did things go in the era of the sky, Link?"

Upon hearing that name, Midna's attention was immediately caught. Her eyes growing wide, she spun around quickly, taking in a gasp of shock as she saw the hero, who returned the white sorceress's friendly grin. Time seemed to freeze for the Twilight Princess, who had missed him for so long and yet now it was as though he had somehow returned to her yet again. Memories of their precious time together flooded her mind as she pushed back tears, and for the longest time she remained floating frozen in the air, not even bothering to wonder why he had not paid her any attention whatsoever as he engaged Lana in casual conversation. "L-Link…" Midna choked softly, her voice for once to small and soft to be heard. She could scarcely believe it, and yet there he was, right before her very eyes. Indeed, it seemed as though the white sorceress had fulfilled the promise she had made to reunite them already. And as emotions continued to overwhelm the Twilight Princess, she found that she could remain silent and still no longer.

"Link!" Midna exclaimed, unable to keep her tears back this time as she flew towards him, a huge smile gracing her features. The hero looked away from the white sorceress only for a moment before the small imp barreled into him, nearly knocking him to the ground due to his injured leg. He was completely taken aback as this strange, impish being locked him in a firm embrace, having no idea how she knew her name or why she was being so forward with him enough to hug him so suddenly. All the while, Lana stood by, her eyes wide with sudden fear as she realized the mistake she had made in not properly introducing them first, only it was too late to fix it now.

"Oh, I missed you so much, my little wolf!" Midna gushed, a hint of joyous laughter, something that was quite different from her usual cold manner. "I can't believe how much you've changed! Where'd you get this fancy little scarf from? It's not really your style, you know…"

Link was thrown off by the Twilight Princess's joking tone as he weakly tried to break free from her tight embrace. However, after a moment or two, Midna let him go on her own volition, coming to glide only a few feet in front of him as she continued to give him a clever smirk. "So," she said coyly, still not letting the hero get a word in edgewise. "Have you missed me as much as I think you have these past few months?"

"Um… Do I… know you?" Link asked a bit hesitantly, giving her a look of bewilderment as he took in her unique appearance, unsure of what race she was even of.

Midna's warm smile faded for a brief moment, before she simply laughed his confusion off. "Oh, I get it!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes at him. "You're just kidding. Well, I have to admit you almost got me there, little wolf. But you should know by now that nothing gets past me!"

"I'm sorry… I really don't have any idea of what you're talking about…" the hero said with a frown. "I… think you might have me confused with someone else…"

"Ok, that whole act was cute the first time around," the Twilight Princess said, crossing her arms and giving him a disapproving scowl. "Now it's starting to get annoying. Has it really been that long enough for you to forget about me: Midna?!"

"Um, actually…" Lana said a bit awkwardly, finally cutting in as she came to stand between the two of them. She could tell from Midna's expression that the Twilight Princess was becoming increasingly frustrated, not that it was Link's fault though. "Midna, there's something you should-"

"Hold up a minute, Lana," Midna said, turning to the white sorceress with a genuine smile. "I… Well, I don't normally do this, but… I just wanted to thank you. I mean, who knew you'd be able to reunite me and Link so soon!"

"Well…" the white sorceress said a bit guiltily, glancing over at the hero, who was still just as confused as ever. "I' really sorry to tell you this, Midna, but… he's not _your _Link… He's the hero of our time, not the Hero of Twilight…"

"W-what?" the Twilight Princess asked, completely appalled by this information. Her eyes were wide as she looked back to Link, who wasn't entirely sure of what to say at this juncture. "But you look just like…" she trailed off for a long moment, giving him a closer look than she had before now that her excitement had worn off. And indeed, she was now able to notice the difference between this hero and her own. Aside from the blue scarf hanging upon his shoulders, the green of his tunic was a brighter shade of green and he was a little less muscular than the Hero of Twilight. His hair was also lighter and more golden compared to the darker, subdued locks Midna had known in her hero, and while their features and eyes were nearly identical, his were a somewhat innocent sky blue instead of a more mature dark cobalt. The Twilight Princess felt her heart sink upon realizing that Lana had been right; as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, this was not the Link she knew. "Oh…" Midna sighed after a long moment or two, glancing down away from him in disappointment. "You're… you're not…" Once again, she found herself unable to finish her statement as she took in an uneven breath, turning away from the hero and quickly gliding away from him, lest her emotions overflow completely.

Link and Lana exchanged a concerned glance as they watched the Twilight Princess retreat a few feet away from them, both of them able to see that she was clearly upset. "Midna," the white sorceress called out, stepping forward to explain things to the Twilight Princess fully before the hero unexpectedly stopped her.

"I'll go talk to her," Link said with more confidence than he actually had, for he really wasn't sure what he was going to say to the distraught Twili imp.

"Are you sure, Link?" Lana asked with a frown, feeling guilty for not telling the Twilight Princess about the hero of her time and his no-doubt close semblance to the Hero of Twilight beforehand.

The hero simply nodded in response as he went on ahead, the remainder of his troops emerging out of the portal in his wake to join the rest of the army. Link slowly limped over towards Midna until he was standing beside her, though she still did not bother to look his way as she intentionally glanced the opposite direction, crossing her arms and pouting bitterly.

"Um… Listen," Link began calmly, trying his hardest not to make this situation any more awkward than it already was. "I'm sorry I'm not… who you thought I was…"

The Twilight Princess shrugged diffidently, still not looking over at him as she spoke in a soft, yet sour tone. "Eh, it's not like it's your fault," she said rather coldly, not really in the mood to converse with him. "I guess it was pretty stupid of me to think I'd see him again so soon… It's just… you look so much like him…"

Much to Midna's surprise, the hero laughed good-naturedly at this. "Well, you don't have to feel too bad about it," he said, giving her a friendly grin. "After all, I've kind of gotten used to people confusing me for other heroes. I guess it's just something that comes with the title."

The Twilight Princess couldn't help but chuckle at this, somewhat amazed that this new hero was able to cheer her up so quickly, despite not being the Hero of Twilight she still missed so much. "Goddesses, you even have his stupid sense of humor," she said jokingly as she turned to face him at last. "I really am sorry for the confusion though. You see, I teamed up with Lana and little miss 'insect princess' over there to save my realm, and she promised me that she'd help me reunite with the Link of my time. The two of us were pretty close, but once his journey was over… well, we had to say goodbye… But when I saw you…" She trailed off once more, sighing and shaking her head wistfully. "I guess it was too good to be true…"

Link frowned as he heard all this, feeling genuinely sorry for her. "Well, why don't we just start all over then?" he asked, extending his hand out to her as he gave her a kind smile. "I'm Link. But… I guess you already knew that."

"I'm Midna," the Twilight Princess said with a coy grin as she shook his hand, realizing the irony of the fact that her first meeting with her own hero was nothing as formal as this. "Princess of the Twilight Realm."

"You're a princess?" Link asked with intrigue, still grinning at her. "No offense, but you're not really like any princess I've ever met. Then again, I've only ever met one other princess…"

"Well thanks," Midna said flatly, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "But just for the record, I normally don't look like this. I was cursed by that crazy witch. Believe me; most of the time, my beauty is beyond compare!"

"I'll take your word for it," the hero said with a laugh, though he fully believed her. However, before the pair had any time to engage in any further conversation, the insect princess skipped up to both of them cheerfully, beaming as a dragonfly flittered above her outstretched palm.

"Miss Kitty, look!" Agitha exclaimed, proud of her newest insect friend. "Isn't this dragonfly absolutely beautiful?!"

"Sure, kid," the Twilight Princess said dully, rolling her eyes at the girl's usual over-enthusiasm about bugs. "Whatever. And what have I told you about a thousand times before? I'm _not _a cat!"

"Whatever you say, Miss Kitty!" the insect princess giggled, not really hearing the Twili imp as she turned her attention to the hero, who was watching the entire exchange with amusement. "Oh, boy!" the girl exclaimed with excitement. "You're wearing so much green that you remind me of a grasshopper! Are you a friend of Miss Lana's?"

"I am," Link said, giving her an outgoing grin as he slowly knelt down to her level, cringing a bit as he felt a small pain ripple through his injured leg, though he didn't let that stop him. After all, he always had a soft spot for children. "My name is Link. What's yours?"

"You have the privilege of speaking with Princess Agitha of the insect kingdom," the girl said, giving him a bright smile and a curtsey.

"Another princess?" the hero asked, raising an eyebrow as he let out a good-natured laugh, deciding to play along with the insect princess, even though the Twilight Princess shook her head as she glided nearby. "Well, it's an honor to meet you, your majesty."

Agitha giggled happily as the hero kissed the back of her extended hand as a formality, knowing that very few adults ever took her title as the insect princess seriously. Midna couldn't help but grin slyly at Link as he rose to stand once more, knowing that her own hero would have kindly encouraged the young girl in the exact same way. And, all the while, Lana watched the encounter from afar, holding her hand over her heart as she felt a sudden pang of longing, one that she felt guilty for in light of all that had happened, but one that she could scarcely suppress all the same.

"Excuse me, Miss Lana," Fi cut in, breaking through the white sorceress's thoughts. "Seeing as how my Master is busy, I see it fit to deliver this report to you instead. From a recent scan, I am able to sense that another portal is about to break through to this area from another area approximately… now."

Almost as soon as the sword spirit said this, another bright light flashed across the area as the last portal opened up. Link, Midna and Agitha turned to see who would be arriving next, though the white sorceress and the hero already were expecting the two Sheikah women to be returning from their mission. However, only one Sheikah came through the portal instead, arriving in the present above all of her allies.

Impa grinned as calmly as she could as she came through the portal first, knowing that Zelda had remained behind a bit in order to surprise the rest of their allies by her return. But all the same, she had cautioned the Sheikah guardian to keep the reveal a secret, especially from Link, though her specific reasons for keeping the hero out of the loop were unclear.

"Impa!" the hero exclaimed with a wide grin, glad to see that the Sheikah guardian had safely returned.

Impa's smile widened upon seeing Link, thankful that he had not gotten himself killed on his first solo mission, though she frowned for a moment upon seeing his semi-broken leg. "Good to see you, Link," she greeted him with a nod, not bothering to watch as some of her troops emerged from the portal. "What happened to you?"

"Let's just say a ten-story monster nearly crushed me," the hero said with a casual laugh, though the Sheikah guardian merely raised an eyebrow at him and his joking ways. "But don't worry. I made it pay for breaking my leg."

"As you should have," Impa said with a sly nod of approval. "I must say, I'm impressed with you, soldier. At first, I was worried about whether you'd be able to lead a faction on your own, and yet you managed to both succeed in you mission and live to tell the tale. Good work, Link. You too, Lana."

"Thank you, Impa," the white sorceress said with a warm smile, accepting the praise humbly.

"Hey, where's Sheik?" Link asked, glancing past the Sheikah guardian to look for the Sheikah warrior, who was surprisingly absent.

Impa couldn't help but crack a sardonic grin at this, knowing that the hero would certainly be just as shocked at the truth as she was. Though it had taken the Sheikah guardian some time to cope with the fact that Zelda had disguised herself for so long, she eventually had after spending some time in the princess's company once more, accepting all of her many apologies for the deception and the lies. In truth, Impa actually respected the choice that Zelda had made to hide herself in the guise of a Sheikah to fight alongside the Hylian troops, but what really brightened the Sheikah guardian's spirits was that the princess had finally returned in earnest, and this time, she was here to stay.

"She's… on her way," Impa said as naturally as possible, more than capable of keeping this act up. "She's keeping up the rear of our forces. But for now… it looks like you both have brought back some allies as well…" She gave a nod of greeting to the sword spirit and the Twilight Princess, disregarding their unusual appearances and instead feeling the power radiating from them both, things that would certainly make them assets in battle later. She gave a caustic glance to the insect princess though, unsure of why a mere child had accompanied one of them back into this era, especially for the sake of a war.

"As well?" Lana asked in confusion. "Are you bringing people back from the past too, Impa?"

"You could say that…" the Sheikah guardian said with a grin, turning to the portal just as the Goron patriarch and the Zora princess stepped through it. Darunia and Ruto had readily agreed to accompany Impa and Zelda to the present in order to stand against Cia, hoping to right the wrongs that she had done to both of their people. Though Saria had wanted to join them, she had refuted, claiming that she needed to return to the forest where she belonged. And so the group of four, after nursing the wounds their forces had received at Lake Hylia, returned to the present, Ruto's Zoran troops and Darunia's Goron brothers accompanying them to add to the joint Hylian army.

"Oh, my!" Ruto exclaimed almost immediately after she came through the portal, already feeling parched from the dryness of the surrounding area. "Impa, you never said the Hyrule of your time was so… disgustingly arid! Where's all the water?!"

"Oh, come on, Sister Ruto!" Darunia said, a wide grin crossing his face as he examined the area hungrily. "Look at all these rocks!" he said, motioning to the hardened earth all around them. "My brothers and I are gonna eat good tonight!"

"Well, I just hope there's a river somewhere nearby," the Zora princess said with a scoff, crossing her arms. "Otherwise, all my people will be as dry as a-" Ruto cut herself off as she glanced over at the other allies gathered not too far away, an ecstatic gasp escaping her as she caught sight of the hero specifically. "Link!" she exclaimed, unable to contain herself as she rushed towards the hero.

Midna was already giggling as the hero gave the Zora princess a confused expression, though both of them had already figured out what was happening once more. "Not again…" Link said with a sigh, unable to stop Ruto as she barreled into him, this time knocking him to the ground thanks to his unsteady footing.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about this happening a lot," the Twilight Princess laughed slyly as she watched the Zora princess give the hero a sudden kiss on the cheek as she kept him pinned down.

"Oh, Link…" Ruto said, her tone dreamy as she let out a romantic sigh. "What a pleasant surprise it is to see you here…"

"Um, actually, I'm-" the hero began to correct her so that he could tell her that he wasn't who she thought, but the Zora princess was quick to silence him by placing a finger over his lips.

"Shh…" she whispered, giving him a flirtatious grin. "Don't speak, darling. I know it's been a while, but you certainly couldn't have forgotten your fiancée, right?"

"F-fiancée?!" Link exclaimed in surprise as Ruto took her hand away from his face. Midna burst out laughing upon hearing at the incredible humor of this situation as Agitha gave her a curious expression, not really knowing what a fiancée was. All the while, the hero was reeling in shock from this news, knowing that he had never really met a Zora before, much less purposed to one.

"Well, of course!" Ruto said huffily. "How many times do we have to go over this!? Don't you remember how we're just _destined _to be together?"

"B-but… but I didn't-" the hero began, desperately trying to get a word in edgewise, but the Zora princess wouldn't hear it.

"Oh, come on, Link," Ruto said, rolling her eyes playfully. "Don't act like you don't want me. After all, I wouldn't have given you the Zora's Sapphire if I didn't think you'd make the most perfect husband for me, Ruto, Princess of the Zoras!"

Link was even more bewildered upon hearing this, but fortunately, before the Zora Princess could continue, the Goron patriarch had approached the two of them. Originally, Darunia wanted to greet the hero, who in his own time was his sworn brother, but the Goron leader was easily able to tell that the one Ruto had pinned to the ground was not the Hero of Time as she had suspected. "Uh… Sister Ruto?" Darunia said, tapping the love-struck Zora princess on the shoulder. "I hate to break it to you, but… I don't think that's him…"

"What are you talking about, Darunia?" Ruto asked with a harsh scoff, glancing back at him briefly. "Of course he-" The Zora princess stopped short as she looked back to the befuddled hero underneath her, taking a closer look at him this time as he smile faded into a look of confused anger.

"W-what?!" Ruto exclaimed, suddenly flustered as she glared down at Link, who had no idea what to say for himself. "Who are you?! You're not my Link! You're… you're an imposter!" The hero had no time to react as the Zora princess let out an infuriated shout, swinging her arm fin so that it struck him roughly across the face. Link gasped in pained surprise as Ruto stood and marched away from him angrily, even though she wasn't really as upset as she let on.

Midna howled with laughter as the hero struggled to stand up, rubbing the painful red mark the Zora princess's slap had left across his face. "Oh, I like her!" the Twilight Princess snickered playfully, ignoring the insincere glare Link was giving her.

"Heh heh, sorry about that, little brother," Darunia said with a grin, giving the hero a hearty pat on the back. "Looks like Ruto thought you were a friend of ours, the Hero of Time. Though I gotta admit… you do like kinda like him…"

"I've been getting that a lot," the hero said with a smirk, knowing not to hold the confusion against the Zora princess at all. "Apparently, all of Hyrule's heroes look pretty much identical…"

Link, Darunia, and Midna all shared a laugh at this, but before the hero and the Goron patriarch could properly introduce each other, they were distracted by one last figure stepping through the portal from the era of the Hero of Time. The entire world seemed to freeze in place the moment Link saw Zelda, his eyes growing wide as he was unable to keep himself from staring at her. Though it had been weeks since he last saw her, she looked as strong and as beautiful as she had been during their first encounter in Hyrule Field. Awed, he took a small step forward as the last portal closed behind her, pouring an elegant light upon her slender form and making her look even more radiant. His breath caught as their eyes met, scarcely able to believe that she was finally back after being gone for so long. Like Impa, Link had spent the past several weeks worrying for the princess's safety and praying that she was well, and now all of that dread was finally put to rest. It was almost too good to be true.

Lana, on the other hand, was not all that surprised with Zelda's sudden reappearance, as she had theorized Sheik's true identity long ago, but for the princess's sake, she had kept it a secret. However, she still couldn't help but frown as she watched Link approach Zelda, the warm smile on his face undeniable as the princess weakly returned it.

"Zelda…" the hero said with a sigh of relief, not even bothering to remember formalities. "I'm so glad you're alright…"

"It's… good to see you too, Link…" Zelda said a bit hesitantly, her heart welling up with emotions far different than the reserved ones she was showing. And as much as she warmly wanted to reunite with the hero after so long, Cia's threat still echoed in the back of her mind, despite her resolve to stand against it: _"You WILL keep your distance from him. You WILL stay away from him. You WILL stay out of my way. And if you don't… then I will hunt you down, and I will personally make sure you never see him, or anyone else ever again!" _The princess's heart pounded with sudden fear as she remembered this terrifying encounter with the black witch, her smile quickly fading as she looked upon the hero that Cia was willing to go to any lengths for. And though Zelda knew it was too late to hide herself away as Sheik again, she couldn't help but fear that perhaps the black witch would end up making good on her ominous promise after all, hurting both the princess and all those she cared about, maybe even Link himself.

"Wait," the hero said, not noticing the fact that the princess had intentionally glanced away from him as he looked around, noticing one member significantly missing from their party. "Where's Sheik?"

"You're looking at her," Impa said with a clever grin, giving a nod to Zelda.

"What?!" Link exclaimed, completely blown away by this revelation as he looked at the princess in amazement. "Zelda… you… you were Sheik all along?"

Zelda was still frowning as she nodded solemnly. "Forgive me for not saying anything," she said sincerely. "I was… forced to hide my identity from my enemies. Only recently was I able to reveal myself. Again, I apologize to you both for the deception," she said, speaking to both Link and Lana.

"It's alright, your highness," the white sorceress said with a respectful smile. "You did what you had to. It's good to finally meet you in person, though."

"Likewise," the princess said, giving her a cordial nod before she felt someone gently graze her hand with his touch. Zelda drew in a tight breath as she looked up at Link, realizing that he was standing quite close to her, which she wouldn't have minded much if not for Cia's threat.

"Zelda…" the hero said, giving her a gentle affectionate smile, one that absolutely melted her heart and brought fear to it all the same. "I can't believe we never noticed you were with us all this time… You know, we were all so worried about you, and…" He paused for a moment, looking down a bit bashfully as his cheeks reddened in slight embarrassment. "I… I really missed you…"

Zelda knew her hand was trembling as Link ran his fingers over it subtly once again, making her shiver with both satisfying warmth and dreaded cold. She could scarcely put together all of her racing emotions as she felt a blush light up her own cheeks, one that she was unable to hide, especially as she stared him and the kind smile he was giving her. In truth, she wanted to cherish this moment, to bask in the look his light blue eyes were giving her. And yet, her fear was overwhelming her, choking her to the point that she could not accept it, nor reciprocate it. At least not as long as Cia was still around to hurt her kingdom or her people.

"Link…" Zelda muttered under her breath, just loud enough that the hero would be able to hear and no one else. "Now is neither the time nor place for this… don't you think?"

Link's smile faded upon hearing this, watching with dismay as Zelda pressed her way past him, not even bothering to look back his way. He was quick to turn at watch her with dismay as she walked away from him, unsure of what he had said or done wrong. The hero had no idea why the princess had reacted to his honesty relief and joy at seeing her again so coldly, but he had to admit to himself that it hurt just the slightest bit. He had hoped that she would have been happy to see him, even a little, but instead she had merely refuted him for some reason he couldn't place. But even so, it seemed as though, even though the princess herself was back, she was intent on being just as reserved and mysterious as the Sheikah warrior she had disguised herself as had been.

"Well, everyone," Lana said with a perky smile, speaking up so she could be heard among the very diverse crowd composed of allies old and new. "We closed each Gate of Souls, putting things right with space and time. And it looks like we each brought back some new faces from each era. Since we're all going to be working together, why don't we all get to know each other a little? Who wants to go first?" she asked a bit leadingly, not particularly caring to explain herself as completely as she had to Agitha and Midna, especially to her first set of allies.

Midna took notice of the white sorceress's hesitation though, and though she wanted to call her out of in, she was interrupted first by the insect princess, who was more than eager to introduce herself to her new friends. "Allow me to present myself!" Agitha exclaimed, her tone bright and bubbly as she stepped forward, not noticing the curious looks the older members of the group were giving her. "I am Agitha, princess of the insect kingdom! It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances!"

"Princess of the… insect kingdom?" Ruto asked with a confused frown, trying hard not to let her disdain for bugs show, lest it upset the young girl. "Is that going to become an actual thing in the Hyrule of the future?"

"Why of course!" Agitha quipped cheerfully, smiling as the Goddess Butterfly continued to flutter around her. "And me and all my little friends are more than happy to play for our team in this fun game, right, Li'l Butterfly?"

The butterfly showed no sign of a reaction, but the insect princess let out a warm laugh all the same, as if the creature had somehow communicated with her. Upon seeing the young girl's innocent, unaware nature, Impa crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at both Link and Lana. "Alright, which one of you brought her back?" she asked in an unamused tone, knowing that certainly a carefree child such as Agitha had no place in the violent war they were fighting in.

"Um… I did," the white sorceress said a bit sheepishly, though she was ready to defend the insect princess, for despite her small stature and her youth, she did have strengths all her own, as she had clearly shown thus far. "But, Impa, believe me when I say she's a lot tougher than she looks. In fact, if it wasn't for Agitha's help, I don't even think I would have found the Gate of Souls in the era of Twilight."

"I can vouch for that," Midna said dryly, unable to deny that despite the fact that Agitha somewhat got on her nerves, she was a valuable ally all the same.

"Be that as it may, this war is too dangerous for a young girl like her to get involved in," the Sheikah guardian said, refusing to let any innocents get hurt in battle if it could be avoided. "She's going to have to be sent home."

"No!" Agitha exclaimed with a pout, having heard this despite her distraction with the Goddess Butterfly. "I don't wanna leave! I want to say and keep playing with everyone and so do all my dear little insects! Please, don't make me go home, ma'am!"

Impa was about to deny the girl's pleas, but before she could, Zelda suddenly cut in. She held a hand up to silence her guardian as she came to kneel down before the insect princess, giving her a kind smile. Agitha was so upset about the possibility of having to leave that she was nearly in tears, but she managed to hold them back as the princess spoke to her in a sweet, genuine tone. "So sweetie, you say that you're a princess?" she asked, feeling sorry for the young girl, who she could honestly relate to. After all, from the time she was young herself, Zelda had always wanted to fight just as skillfully and bravely as Impa did.

"Mm hm…" the insect princess nodded, still pouting sadly.

"Well, isn't that ironic?" the Hyrulian princess asked playfully, pointing to her tiara. "I'm a princess too."

"Really?" Agitha asked softly, her eyes growing wide with amazement.

Zelda nodded, letting out a warm laugh. "Really," she said encouragingly. "And you say you want to stay here and help us?"

The insect princess nodded in response to this once more, not really sure of where the Hyrulian princess was going with this. "Well, I'll tell you what," she said, taking one of the younger girl's hands. "We'll let you stay if you promise me one thing."

"What?" Agitha asked wonderingly, ready to do just about anything if it meant she could stay with her new friends.

"Promise me that you'll be brave," Zelda said firmly, yet still benevolent. "Promise that you won't be afraid to stand with us. After all, a sign of any good princess lies in their courage. And so, as princesses, we both have a duty to our people to be stand up for them when they can't. So can you promise me that you'll do just that?"

"Oh yes!" the insect princess agreed with a wide smile, nodding vigorously. "I can be brave! I promise! And all my little friends promise too! We won't let you down!"

"Very good," the Hyrulian princess said with a pleased grin as she rose to stand, only briefly meeting eyes with the hero as he gave her an unreadable look, before she quickly glanced away and took her place beside Impa once more.

Seeing as how the situation had all been neatly handled, the Twilight Princess took the initiative to introduce herself next. "Well, I see no reason not to add onto the already staggering number of princesses in this group," she said sardonically, grinning slyly at all her allies. "The name's Midna, and though I may not look like it, I'm the Princess of the Twilight Realm and its people, the Twili."

"Pardon me, Lady Midna," Fi cut in, her tone respectful, yet also somehow wary despite its usual monotone. "But I am sensing a strange dark power radiating from your being, or more specifically, the relic resting atop your head. Seeing as how it is unfamiliar to me, might I inquire what it is?"

Midna gave the sword spirit a distrusting glance, not particularly liking to tell such things to beings as strange as her. "Why do you need to know, huh, twinkle toes?" the Twilight Princess asked caustically, giving Fi a nickname based on her ballerina-like feet.

"Purely for analytical purposes," the sword spirit said calmly. "I am highly knowledgeable in most subjects, and the very few things I do not know about, I wish to have information on until my database is comprehensive. That is all."

"Whatever," Midna scoffed a bit sourly, crossing her arms and scowling at Fi, whose expression remained as blank as ever. "It's called a Fused Shadow, an old magical relic of my people. And don't worry; it's not dangerous… as long as it's in the right hands."

"Indeed," Fi confirmed, not sensing any immediate danger from the Fused Shadow, despite its dark aura. "And on that note, I believe that I shall now participate in this introductory ritual," she said, turning to the rest of the group as she continued. "I am called Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword, created by the white goddess Hylia to serve her chosen hero, and all future ones. I have accompanied my Master to this time period in order to aid in the fight against the black witch, the one called Cia. I welcome all of you as my allies as I hope that you all equally welcome me."

"Wow," Darunia said with a small, good-natured chuckle. "You really have a way with words."

"Thank you, Sir Darunia," the sword spirit said politely, already knowing all of her new allies' names without needing any formal introduction. The rest of the group was somewhat surprised at her foresight, but the Zora princess was quick to throw forward a question of her own.

"So… you're the spirit of a sword?" Ruto asked tentatively, trying to grasp the concept completely.

"Yes," Fi replied without a moment's hesitation. "The Goddess Sword to be exact. And for the sake of evaluating my usefulness, allow me to inform you all that as such, I am relatively immune to injury. However, if I am damaged too heavily, I will retreat back into my sword form for a time, allowing this human-like shape I am currently taking on to recover."

"Durability," Impa said to Zelda with a satisfied nod, internally taking stock on all the new allies her forces had gained so that she could create an adequate battle plan utilizing such strengths later on. "A good quality to have in a warrior of any ilk."

The princess nodded halfheartedly, still trying her hardest to keep her gaze away from Link as he continued to look her way for some reason, even as the circle of introductions continued, moving onto the Zora princess this time, who readily stepped forward to make herself known.

"I am Ruto," she said pointedly, smiling proudly as she kept up her perfect posture. "Princess of the Zoras. And while I may be in the company of quite a few other 'princesses' the peasants among you are not required to bow to me… at this moment."

"And I'm Darunia!" the Goron patriarch chimed in cheerfully as he pointed his thumb to himself, giving the Zora princess a pat on the shoulder at the same time, which elicited an angry gasp from her. "Big brother of the Gorons! Nice to meet you all!"

"Darunia!" Ruto scolded, glaring insincerely at him. "You completely overshadowed me!"

"Oh man, I wasn't trying to, Sister Ruto," Darunia said a bit guiltily, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry about that!"

"Of course you are…" the Zora princess said bitterly, crossing her arms sourly. "Just don't forget about the dousing I gave you back at Lake Hylia! I can just as well do it again!"

"Yeah," the Goron patriarch said with a playful grin, knowing that anger was just Ruto's way of showing affection. "I know, sister."

Once this friendly exchange was over, the attention was shifted to the members of the group who were from the present, and among them, the Sheikah guardian was the first to present herself. "I am Impa," she said with her usual firmness. "General of the Hyrulian forces of this time and guardian to Princess Zelda. It is an honor to have all of you joining our troops. With our combined might, our enemies will not stand a chance."

The group cheered in steady agreement with this confident statement as the princess herself came forward, giving the diverse group as steady of a smile as she could manage. Though she still feared standing up against Cia and what it could ultimately end up costing her, her hope had been somewhat restored upon meeting those who had selflessly come to help. "I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," she said formally, her tone much more confident than she actually felt. "And likewise, I also thank all of you for coming together to stand with us. I know that this is not the Hyrule of your time, but I would like to believe that we are all here in common cause, to fight for the Hyrule not just of today, but of yesterday and of tomorrow as well. Your courage and your selflessness shall not go unnoticed once this great battle that lies ahead of us is over. And though we all come from vastly different times and places, let us stand together as one people and one army. For the kingdom of Hyrule!"

Already Zelda had their allies hooked by her inspiring rhetoric and upon hearing this, the entirety of the group heartily cheered "For the kingdom of Hyrule!" in response. The princess smiled in relief at this, hoping that they would fight with not only bravery, but also unity in the battles ahead.

It took Link a long moment to regain his focus after hearing what Zelda had just said, her eloquent words both encouraging and inspiring him as well. He would follow her anywhere, not just for her words alone, but also for her kindness and honor. In his eyes, she was certainly someone worth fighting for.

"Link!" Proxi's sharp and sudden whisper broke the hero out of his heavy gaze set upon the princess. He blinked for a moment or two before noticing the expectant looks everyone was giving him, knowing that he was one of the only two left to introduce themselves properly.

"Oh, right!" Link exclaimed with a somewhat awkward, yet endearing grin. "Um… I'm Link, and I'm-"

"The Hero of Hyrule!" Proxi broke in brightly, flittering above the hero's head excitedly.

"Proxi!" Link exclaimed in embarrassment, not really liking to refer to himself as a hero too often as he was too humble for titles such as that.

"What?" the fairy asked with a laugh, casually perching upon his shoulder. "It's true."

"You're the Hero of Hyrule, and…?" Impa asked him, giving him a knowingly look as she urged him to go on.

"Oh! And I'm also… the second general of the army," he said a bit reluctantly, not really liking to be referred to as that title either, but he accepted it for the Sheikah guardian's sake.

Zelda finally looked at Link upon hearing this, forgetting that Impa had entrusted this position to him, signified by the scarf that he wore, the very one she had sowed herself. She didn't deny that he deserved both the mantle of the hero as well as such a high-ranking office, for being in it only made him third in command over the entire kingdom after herself and the Sheikah guardian. His courage and strength had certainly been proven on the battlefield, things that Zelda herself had seen during her tenure as Sheik. And though she wished to thank the hero for his service thus far, she remained silent, quickly looking away from Link the moment he turned to glance at her.

However, what Zelda didn't know was that Link had by now fully caught onto the fact that she was trying to avoid him, even though he had no idea why. And yet, the hero knew that now was not the time to approach her about something like this, not with so many people around.

"And last but not least, I'm Lana," the white sorceress said rather hastily, not wanting to dwell too long upon herself. "Well, it looks like we're all acquainted now! Next, we should-"

"Hey, hold on a minute, Lana," Midna suddenly cut in, something that Lana had feared she would do. "Don't you think you have some explaining to do?"

"Um… about what?" the white sorceress asked innocently, though she knew exactly what the Twilight Princess was talking about.

"Don't play dumb," Midna said knowingly, crossing her arms and frowning. "You know what I'm talking about."

Lana bit her lip anxiously as the other members of the group exchanged wondering glances. The white sorceress had known from the very beginning that she wouldn't be able to keep this a secret from them forever, but even so, she still wasn't ready to reveal it. "Er… yes…" she began nervously, hoping and praying that her allies wouldn't view her as a pariah for this. "Well… uh… It's about me and Cia… The thing is… I… We… we're not just from the same clan…" She paused for a moment, gauging Link, Zelda, and Impa's reactions most of all, seeing as how she had known them the longest. "We're actually… the same person…"

Nearly everyone was taken aback by this sudden revelation, save for Fi, who had already been able to tell through her scans and Midna and Agitha, who had already been told the truth by the white sorceress herself. Ruto and Darunia exchanged a surprised glance as Impa's eyes widened in confusion and bewilderment. However, Link and Zelda were the two most shocked by this news out of all of them, though each for different reasons. The hero had never really seen something like this coming, and in truth, he wasn't really sure how to take it. After all, Cia and Lana were as different as night and day that it was honestly hard for him to believe such a thing to be true. The princess, on the other hand, sudden froze up with both awe and fear as she stared at the white sorceress, not really knowing how it could be possible, but terrified of the implications all the same.

"But… how?" Link asked after a pregnant silence, still trying to grasp this impossible idea.

"It wasn't that long ago…" Lana said with a guilty sigh as she looked to the ground. "Something took hold of Cia, something powerful and evil. It filled her with greed and lust and forced the light from her heart entirely. And I… I'm that light. I'm what was driven out of her… And it was all because of that horrible monster, that great evil that's responsible for all this…"

* * *

"_**He should love you, not her…" **_

_This sole thought suddenly pervaded the young sorceress's entire being, causing her to free up entirely as it reverberated throughout her mind. It seemed foreign somehow, darker and more selfish than her usual train of thought. And though it was strange, it somehow also felt right, as it was a truth that she could not honestly deny. The hero should love her rather than a princess who had shown blatant disregard for him time and time again. _

"_But that's not how it's supposed to be."_

_Her own natural thoughts retorted against the darker voice sounding out in her mind as she tried to resist it, knowing that it was wrong. She had her destiny and purpose and the hero had his. And, according to the fate's design, their paths were not meant to cross. She would just have to accept that._

"_**But what if the fates are wrong?"**_

_She was second-guessing herself and she knew it. And yet, she tried to convince herself that she wasn't that she was simply having momentary doubts that would pass. After all, she wasn't so weak that she couldn't overcome a brief bout of mere uncertainty, right?_

"_The fates are never wrong."_

"_**So you're just going to allow the fates to dictate your entire life so easily? How passive…"**_

"_It is not passive. It's wise."_

_She tried to convince herself that this was true; that following fate's path was right and good. And yet, that seed of doubt was still there, and it was starting to grow._

"_**But you are the powerful Guardian of Time! You deserve everything you desire, including the precious soul of the hero you are so fascinated with."**_

_The voice inside her thoughts seemed louder and clearer this time as her eyes grew wide, the world around her starting to dim about as she was taken in by its tempting words. Indeed, she did have power, far more power than any other mere mortal. And yet, she had never really exercised it. Perhaps it was finally time…_

"_What?! No!" _

_Her thoughts sent a chill of warning up her spine as she shook her head. What had she been thinking? She couldn't just lash out her powers however she pleased. She had a duty to uphold, a duty that had been bestowed to her by the very goddesses themselves. She could not go out and carry out such petty flights of fancy like this. No matter how much her heart cried for it._

"_**Your love for him is stronger than the 'love' she has for him… Don't you think he deserves that love? That you BOTH deserve that love?"**_

_Her heart trembled at this thought. She could not deny that she loved him, in a way that she had never loved anyone or anything before. She adored everything about him and the very thought of him filled her entire being with joy. And yet, she could not be with him. Or maybe she could...?_

"_No! I can't! He doesn't need me!"_

"_**Not like how you need him?"**_

_She gasped in shock at how much her thoughts were contradicting each other, but her own mind was completely stunned silent upon being faced with this idea. She did need him; she loved him. She wanted him…_

"_**You have seen his every life… You know him better than anyone else could. You have felt his pain and sorrows. You know is every secret. And yet, he knows absolutely nothing of you. Wouldn't you like to free him from his destiny, his burden, and have him with you forever?"**_

_She did. Oh goddesses, she did. The very thought of having the hero with her for the rest of eternity seemed like a wonderful dream come true. It was all she could ever want and ask for._

"_N-no! It doesn't matter what I want! I have to protect the Triforce above all else, even above my own wants and needs!"_

"_**Do you really want to spend the rest of your days here alone? Always watching, never interfering as you continue to watch him from worlds away…? You have kept your watch for so long, been away from the world for so many years, and for what? To protect a golden relic that cannot go anywhere on its own?"**_

"_But… but protecting it is my duty! My destiny!"_

_Her heart was pounding by this point as she tried to decide who was right: her own thoughts that sought for things to remain exactly the same as they had been for countless years or the voice that had found its way in, who was promising her wonderful things, including her beloved hero. She was forced to choose, between her responsibility and her dreams._

"_**A destiny that you did not even choose…"**_

_Her own thoughts were silent for a long moment, seeming to be increasingly driven back by the growing volume of the other voice, which was growing more and more temping by the minute._

"_**The hero should be yours… Every piece of him should belong to you: his heart, his mind, his body, his soul… And you know that you have the power to claim him. The power to rip him away from that wretched princess once and for all. The power to show him who he's truly meant to be with…"**_

_She did have that kind of power. That much was true. She was strong, capable, resolute. But this was wrong, all of it. She could not just take what she wanted by force. _

_But she wanted him so badly… More than she had ever wanted anything before. She loved him so much that it ached to be apart from him. She needed him, for how could she survive another moment without him?_

_And, in a brief moment of weakness, her own thoughts for once agreed with her. _

"_**Do as I say, and you shall finally be with your beloved hero… forever…"**_

"_NO!" _

_Her thoughts suddenly returned in full force, nearly screaming at her to stop before it was too late, before she lost her waning purity completely. But it was already too late. The voice of darkness had seduced her; it had convinced her that every word it said was true. _

_And it was all because of a moment of weakness._

"_No! Stop! We can't do this! This isn't right!"_

"_But it's what I want!" she said, finally speaking out loud as she shut her eyes tightly._

"_Don't listen to that voice, please! It only seeks its own desires! It wants to use us!"_

"_I don't care! For so long, I've catered to the whims of fate and destiny. Well, now, it's time for me to do what I want! For me to get what I need!"_

"_We don't need him! We only think you do!"_

"_No," she said, her voice dangerously low and dark. "I KNOW I need him! I need him more than life itself! More than anything! And I will do WHATEVER it takes to get him!"_

"_Wait! NO!"_

"_I will do as you say!" she proclaimed fiercely to the dark voice, ignoring the sudden splitting pain coursing throughout her entire body. "I will do what I must to unite myself with the hero! I will do whatever I must…"_

_She suddenly felt incredibly faint as the darkness took her completely. An ear-splitting scream of pain escaped her as she collapse to the ground, finally slipping into unconsciousness as something very important was driven out of her: her light. And in its place, only darkness could exist._

_When she awakened, she found that she was no longer one single body or consciousness any longer, but two, both holding the same memories and both holding an identical semblance to one another. Light and dark had been torn apart and now existed apart from each other, two halves of the same whole. The only difference that existed between them was their incredibly differing motives._

"_Cia… What have you done?"_

_The black witch laughed wickedly as she picked herself up the ground, grinning down darkly at her lighter half who was still weak as she tried to recover from nearly being obliterated entirely. "I've done what I want for once!" she proclaimed, summoning her magical staff and watching with pleasure as a dark aura surrounded it. "The hero will at last be mine!"_

"_Cia, please," Lana begged as she slowly rose to stand, quickly summoning one of their other shared relics, the book of sorcery in order to protect herself if she had to. "This has to stop. You don't know what you're doing!"_

"_Oh, I know very well what I'm doing, Lana," Cia said haughtily, glaring at the white sorceress who had, mere moments ago, been a part of her. "Believe me, I've never been more in charge of my own destiny than I am now!"_

"_Can't you see that monster is manipulating you!?" Lana said desperately, her heart breaking for the dark turn her other half had taken. _

"_Please," Cia scoffed bitterly. "The only one who ever manipulated me was you, Lana. Always wanting me to 'do the right thing' as you put it. I was so sick of it! But now, I'm finally free from you! Free to be who I want to be and to be with who I want to be with!"_

"_Cia, no!" Lana nearly begged. "You can't do this! This is against everything we've been taught, everything we stand for!"_

"_It may be against everything YOU stand for, Lana, but I see no problem with it at all," Cia said with a sinister grin. "You and I are no longer the same person and we never will be again!"_

"_Cia, please, it doesn't have to be this way," Lana said with great sadness in her voice. "We can fuse back together. We can be one again and we can drive this darkness out of us together!"_

"_I don't want to be one anymore, Lana!" Cia hissed hatefully. "Don't you see? Now I can finally be with him! I can make him love me and we can be together for eternity! And why stop there? After all, I certainly wouldn't mind ruling over this entire kingdom with my beloved hero at my side…"_

_Lana took in a shocked gasp upon hearing this, terrified to hear that Cia's intentions were much darker than she had once thought. She knew that this sudden ambition to rule Hyrule must have come from the darkness pervading her thoughts and she had to put a stop to it before it's too late. "I can't let you do that, Cia!" the white sorceress proclaimed, gathering her courage even amidst her great grief over her fallen counterpart. "Even if we were once one, I won't stand by while you try to subjugate both Hyrule and the hero into your control!"_

"_Oh," the black witch said darkly, her glare sharpening even more. "I see. You just want him all to yourself! You always have! That's why you were trying to hold me back! You think you can take my place at his side! Well I won't stand for this mutiny! The hero will be MINE and mine alone!"_

_With an infuriated shout, Cia held her scepter up as a dark aura surrounding it, the Triforce behind her starting to glow in response to this. Lana gasped fearfully as she realized what her darker half was planning, and she knew that she had to stop her before she could access its power. Everything that happened next was in a quick succession: the white sorceress counteracted the black witch's move on the Triforce by casting a spell upon it that split it into its three parts. Though Cia managed to hold onto the Triforce of Power, the other two went out into the world to find their respective bearers, leaving only the two halves of the Guardian of Time behind. In her immense rage, the black witch nearly killed the white sorceress, but fortunately, Lana was able to escape Cia's wrath just in time, tears streaming down her cheeks as she cast one last glance upon the Palace of Souls, which had once been the place that both her and Cia had called home. _

"_I'm sorry, Cia…" Lana whispered tearfully, knowing that her one sole moment of weakness had cost them both so much. "I'll find a way to save you… somehow…"_

* * *

"…And that's what really happened," Lana finished her long tale with a morose sigh, knowing that unlike the last time she had told her allies this time, this time, it was no lie. "Cia and I are no longer one and the same, and if things continue going the way they are… I doubt we ever will be again."

The entire group gave the white sorceress pitied glances, feeling sorry for the grief she had to go through, even if none of them could relate to it in exactly the same way. "I'm sorry that happened, Lana," Link said with sincere sympathy, feeling somewhat indebted to Lana in light of all he had heard, knowing that she had done her best to keep Cia in check despite her overwhelming lust for him.

"No, Link, _I'm _sorry…" Lana said with a guilty frown. "It's my fault all of this happened in the first place. I was too weak to save Cia in the first place, which led things getting as out of control as they are…"

"But… we closed the Gate of Souls," Midna said reassuringly. "That's gotta count for something, right?"

"I guess so," the white sorceress said, still not feeling too comforted despite this accomplishment. "But I know that's not going to stop Cia now. Without the Gate of Souls, she's backed into a corner. Now more than ever she'll be more dead set on doing anything at all to get what she wants. Already she has the complete Triforce, so now, if I could guess, her main focus will be on-"

"Me," the hero cut in, his tone hard and his expression even harder. Everyone went silent upon hearing this, especially Lana and Zelda, who both understood what Link specifically saying this meant. In a way, it really meant that the hero had come to terms with the fact that he was the overall goal of their enemy, the prize that she sought above all else and was willing to kill and destroy as much as she had to in order to obtain. That this entire war had begun essentially because of him. And neither the white sorceress nor the princess could take it. Though Lana showed her immense guilt over what she had caused in a much more subtle way by letting out a solemn sigh, Zelda found her overflowing emotions much harder to contain as she slipped out of the group practically unnoticed, knowing that in light of all of these revelations, she could no longer endanger the hero's life or his freedom by being around him anymore.

However, one person did notice the princess depart, even as the rest of the group awkwardly transitioned away from the subject of the black witch and her ambitions to more conversational subjects. Link frowned as he watched Zelda's hurried departure, knowing that something was wrong, and though she was determined on avoiding him, he was determined to figure out what it was.

The decision was quickly made to set up camp as the sun was starting to get low on the horizon and night would soon be upon them. It was clear from their initial interactions alone that the diverse group was already starting to bond, each in their different ways, leading to the hope that they would function well together as a fighting force for good. However, as everyone split apart to take to different tasks in settling down for the night, the hero took off after the princess, hoping that perhaps she would finally talk to him if they were alone. And, all the while, the white sorceress watched him from afar, her guilt overwhelming her more than ever before as she knew that the danger he was in was completely her doing.

Zelda stood upon a raised plateau overlooking the flatlands that her troops were building their camp upon, her breaths coming in short, succinct gasps. She held her arms tightly as she desperately tried to hold her tears of fear back, knowing that she was having nothing less than an outright panic attack. She knew that such weakness and trepidation was shameful, especially of a princess and especially during a time of war such as this. And yet, she couldn't help it. Every time she thought of the threat Cia had issued, of the heavy injuries she had landed upon her, all of the immense terror she had felt during that moment came rushing back to her. She had been able to handle it better when she had been disguised as Sheik, for she knew that the black witch had not known her identity then. But now, the disguise was gone. She was Princess Zelda again, the very target of Cia's hatred. There would be nothing stopping the black witch from ravaging her kingdom, from killing her allies now. If anything disastrous were to happen now, the princess knew it would be all her fault, and that was a burden that she could not bear to shoulder.

"Zel—um, I mean… princess?" Link asked from not too far behind her, catching Zelda completely off guard. A frightened gasp escaped her as she slightly turned to face him, her heart pounding with unspeakable fear. The princess knew well that she couldn't just cut her ties with the hero; after all, he was a great asset to their forces and to do so would be cruel after all he had done for her and her kingdom. And yet, every time she looked at him, the only thing she could hear were Cia's cold words, as threatening and as sinister as they had been the first time: _"Stay away from Link, or die with the rest of your kingdom." _The black witch could enact this horrible threat at any moment now, and Zelda knew that being around Link in any capacity was only making things worse, especially since he kept trying to reach out to her. She could hardly blame him for it; after all, he had no idea that Cia had appeared to her at all. But still, she knew his attempts, as well-intentioned as they were, were only making things more difficult than they already were.

Link frowned as Zelda said nothing to him, turning away from him coldly and perplexing him even more. "Princess," he said with a bit more certainty, deciding to call her by her royal title as he took a step closer to her. "Is… is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," the princess said succinctly, still not turning to him. She was genuinely touched by his concern for her, but this was something that she had to deal with alone.

"Then why are you avoiding me?" the hero asked knowingly. "Did I do something wrong?"

Zelda was silent for a long time upon hearing this, her heart aching at the fact that he thought he might have brought her anxiety about when it was exactly the opposite. "Link, I'm not avoiding you," she lied, trying harder than ever to suppress her tears. "I simply wish to be alone…"

Link noticed the very subtle sob that Zelda accidentally let out after she finished speaking, and based on that, he knew that she was not as fine as she let on she was. "Zelda…" he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you… crying?"

The princess clenched her arms even tighter, knowing that she was quickly failing in trying to shut him out. Nonetheless, she shook her head, even though it was useless to try to convince both him and herself that nothing was wrong.

"Zelda, what's the matter?" the hero asked, more concerned for her than ever. "Did something happen?"

"I… I can't tell you…" Zelda whispered anxiously, closing her eyes tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Why not?" Link asked calmly, even though he was a bit nervous from seeing Hyrule's usually collected princess this distraught. "I just want to help you, Zelda. You know that…"

Upon hearing his gentle words, it was as though a floodgate had been opened. She finally turned to him and began to weep pitifully, not even caring about how much of an embarrassing disgrace she was being. At that moment, her fear, dread, and sorrow all came crashing down on her, and she could no longer hold any of it inside. For a moment, she didn't care what Cia would do to her; she couldn't keep this hidden from him anymore.

The hero resisted the urge to pull her into a comforting embrace, remembering how she was and her position. And so instead he took her hand and began to quiet her down, hoping that he could ease her apparent grief somehow.

"Zelda," Link said firmly, yet reassuringly. "Tell me what happened."

Zelda sucked in a tearful breath, knowing that her heavy shame would certainly ruin her reputation even more in his eyes. "A-after the battle in Hyrule Field… I went back to the castle…" she began disjointedly, deciding to start with what she had told Impa earlier. "And… and then… _she _appeared…"

"Who?" the hero asked in confusion.

"You know who…" the princess said with a hint of bitterness in her tone, hating the black witch even more for what her cold words had reduced her to.

"Oh…" Link said with an angry frown upon realizing who she was talking about. "Cia…"

Zelda wiped some of her still-falling tears dry as she nodded. "She… she threatened me… and my entire kingdom… She said she'd kill all of us and… and destroy Hyrule… Unless… unless I… I stayed away from… you…"

The hero was stunned into silence upon hearing this, unsure of even how to respond to it. The first thing he felt was anger, perhaps more than he had ever felt before in his life. How dare Cia threaten Zelda and Hyrule, the two things he vowed to protect with his life, simply because she lusted after him. And though he hadn't been there when it happened, he could tell that however the black witch had done it, it certainly must have been a traumatic experience for the princess to make her this upset and fearful.

"She hurt you…" Link said after a long moment of silence, his tone serious and cold as his anger towards Cia steadily rose. "Didn't she?"

Zelda's entire body was trembling by this point as she felt a pang of phantom pain burst across her back, reminded of how the black witch had torn it to bloody shreds during their first encounter. She nodded slowly, and the hero understood that she didn't want to go into any details about it. But all the same, the fact that Cia had physically harmed the princess enraged him even more. Certainly, there was no point that the black witch wouldn't stood in order to get him, and after discovering all of this, Link refused to let her win now more than ever before.

"Zelda, I'm so sorry…" the hero said with a sigh of guilt, trying to hold his deep anger back in front of her, as that was the last thing she needed right now. "This is all my fault…"

"No!" the princess exclaimed, refusing to let him take the blame for any of this. "Link, you had nothing to do with any of this. This was before you even knew a thing about Cia and her desire for you. Please, don't think that any of this, her threatening me, this war, anything, was because of you. You did nothing wrong."

"I know," Link said, though he wasn't entirely sure if he believed it. After all, as long as he remained out of Cia's hands, more people would suffer and die, something that he couldn't help but feel bad about. "But you and I both know that she won't stop until she gets me… She already hurt you… Who knows what else she'll do?"

"So… what are we going to do?" Zelda asked hopelessly, just as uncertain of what the future held as he was.

"I don't know…" the hero said with complete honesty. "I guess the only thing we can do is keep fighting her. But Zelda, if there's one thing I am going to promise you, it's this: I won't _ever _let her hurt you again. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you before, but I will be there next time and I'll keep you safe from her, no matter what."

"Link, please don't promise things like that," the princess said with shame in her tone. "I am the princess of Hyrule. It's my duty to protect both myself and my people. My safety is not your responsibility."

"But I feel like it is…" Link said, giving her hand a small squeeze. "Zelda… I… I want to protect you… I don't know how to explain this… and it might even sound a little crazy but… I feel like that's what I was born to do… to serve you and Hyrule…"

"Oh, Link…" Zelda said softly, finally smiling as she took his other hand in hers. "I feel the same way… I believe that…that there is a bond between us… one that was there long before we ever met… It is a bond of destiny, one that cannot be denied…"

"I guess that explains why… why I care so much about you…" the hero said, his cheeks reddening the slightest bit in embarrassment as he gave her an endearing grin. "Even though we've only known each other for a little while…"

The princess's smile widened as she nodded, knowing that she cared for him as well. "Yes…" she said contentedly, glancing down at their intertwined hands. All at once, it felt as though her former anxiety about Cia and her threat had faded away. Prior to what she had originally thought, simply being around the hero inspired her, his kindness warmed her and his strength comforted her. With him at her side, she felt as though she no longer had anything to fear and that together, they could readily face any enemy that opposed them, even the black witch herself. "I suppose it would…"

"So… I guess that's why you disguised yourself as Sheik, huh?" Link asked, still giving her a smile, though it was a bit halfhearted. "To hide from Cia?"

Zelda nodded as her own smile faded. "It was cowardly of me," she said with shame in her tone. "I shouldn't have ran away in the first place, but I did. I thought that disguising myself so I could fight alongside you, Impa and Lana would make up for my weakness, but…"

"I don't think that was cowardly," the hero said reassuringly, picking up after she had trailed off. "I think that was brave. You took a huge risk and you still managed to stand up against Cia in your own way. Though I have to admit… I'm going to miss Sheik a little…"

The princess laughed warmly at this, knowing that he was kidding. "Well, I decided that it was time to come out of hiding and be myself again," she said with resolve. "Sheik's no longer needed… Even if pretending to be a Sheikah was pretty fun…"

The pair shared another laugh before Zelda sobered a bit, giving Link a proud smile. "Link, I want to thank you for all you've done for me and my people thus far," she said with absolute sincerity, knowing that she owed him so much. "Your courage and determination are extraordinary. I could see your potential from that first moment in the training yard."

"That seems like so long ago now…" the hero said a bit bashfully, not entirely sure if he was completely deserving of the princess's praise. "It's hard to believe that when I woke up that morning as just a recruit, but by the time the day was over, I was second in command of the entire army."

"Well, you certainly deserve such an high honor," Zelda said with compete certainty. "As far as I'm concerned, you've more than proved your worth. In fact… if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now…" she said with a thankful smile, referring to how he had saved her life on more than one occasion during her tenure as Sheik. "I owe you my life, Link…"

"No," Link said, shaking his head as he held their hands a bit closer to him, looking down at her with a tender smile. "I owe you mine. I nearly died during that first battle in Hyrule Field, but you saved me… I don't think I'll ever forget about that…"

"Then… I suppose we're even," the princess said with a small laugh, finding herself taken in by his handsome blue eyes once more as he stared at her with the same affection.

For the longest time, neither of them said anything else as they watched the sun set from afar, the unique bond that they found between each other speaking for them instead. They both understood that there was a risk of them being in each other's company, but for a moment, neither of them cared. After all, Cia had control over neither of them, despite her trying to manipulate the situation. Link and Zelda were both determined to stand together in the battle against her and her forces, resolved to repel the threat she brought to Hyrule no matter what. After all, if there was one thing that the princess and the hero had in common aside from their bond, it was the deep love they both shared for the kingdom they would do anything to protect.

* * *

**Ok! So like I said, its a heavy, really loaded chapter, but at least I finally got to write a little establishing Zelink, something I haven't done in a long time! Now before some of you people get all upset saying "Oh but Link and Zelda don't know each other well enough to be in a relationship yet!" Well, they're not in a relationship yet! They're still friends, but I do plan on developing their bond to the point that it becomes romantic, so if that bothers you, I'm sorry but its my story and I dont wanna hear any complaints about it! :D Anyway, next time around, I'm thinking we're gonna have a Team Cia chapter, focusing on Cia, Wizzro and Volga for a little while, as well as introducing everyone's favorite Gerudo baddie ;) So I'm pretty excited about that as I hope you all are! Now for the chapter question: If Nintendo releases another DLC pack for Hyrule Warriors, what game would you like it to have content from? For me, I would definitely LOVE to have a Wind Waker DLC pack, complete with Toon Link and Toon Zelda/Tetra, cause why not? So, let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time! :D**


	19. The Sorceress and the King

_Ok, so this one took a little while, but once I got on the ball with it, it was actually really fun to write! After all, who couldn't use more Cia!? :D Anyway, I won't keep you long here, so we might as well get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 18: The Sorceress and the King_

The black witch, despite the mask of serenity and control she liked to put on when facing her enemies, actually had quite a violent temper, something that the two generals of her army had come to learn very quickly upon joining her ranks. When her fury was struck, it burned as hot as the sun, and all those unlucky enough to get caught within her hot wrath rarely escaped unscathed. And, as usual, the two targets of Cia's hatred at the moment, were Volga and Wizzro, both of whom she viewed as the cause of the collapse of her footholds on the other eras of Hyrule's past.

"Fools!" Cia growled in absolute fury as she stood before the dragon knight and the dark wizard, both of whom were bowed low before her as her infuriated shouting echoed through the lofty halls of the Temple of Souls. "Idiots! Imbeciles! Cretins! Dimwits! Baffoons! Morons!" The black witch paused for a moment, trying to come up with more heated insults to throw at her underlings, but her rage quickly got the better of her as she swirled around to face them, the crimson in her dark violet eyes glowing brightly. "Give me _one _good reason why I shouldn't obliterate the both of you and cast your pathetic souls into the dark world!"

Volga and Wizzro exchanged a tentative glance, both of them knowing that they were in the same amount of trouble as far as their mistress was concerned. And, since the dragon knight had dealt with her rage the last time, the dark wizard took a venture in trying to calm her down this time. "W-well… O, beautiful, p-powerful, illustrious, uh… i-intelligent-"

"Save me the flattery, Wizzro, and just spit it out already!" Cia snapped, crossing her arms as she glared down at the dark wizard.

Wizzro bristled in fear a bit at her tone, but nodded nonetheless. "I… uh… I just wanted to point out that I only retreated because I wanted to report that I had found the princess!" he reasoned, trying to, at the very least, look better in her eyes than Volga did at the moment.

"You weak-minded fool!" the black witch shouted angrily. "You thought I didn't know that the princess had disguised herself as a Sheikah?! Please. Her ancestor tried to pull the very same trick centuries ago."

"Then… if I may ask, mistress, why didn't you simply go after her when you found out she was traveling with the boy and the Hylian forces?" Volga asked in admitted confusion, not following Cia's logic.

The black witch's fiery frustration calmed a bit upon hearing this question, though she still gave both of her generals an even look of disgust. "To lure her into a false sense of security, of course," she explained. "As you both know, I managed to shake Zelda up quite a bit after my first encounter with her several weeks ago. When she finally decided to come out of hiding, I figured I'd let her have her fun in thinking that I wasn't onto her when I really knew the entire time."

"But… isn't that rather… counterintuitive? After all, don't you want her dead?" Wizzro asked, his single eye giving his mistress a bewildered look.

"Well, of course," Cia said with a bitter shrug. "But not quite yet. After all, I'd much rather watch her suffer first. Just imagine, boys… The look of absolute anguish on her face as I at long last take my darling hero as my own… When I finally break that wretched bond of destiny and free him from her spell! And then, she'll know what it feels like to be denied of everything she love, everything she's ever wanted! Then, once I'm certain her heart is broken just as mine was, I'll put her out of her misery. Princess Zelda is about to lose everything; first, her kingdom, then her hero, and then her life!"

The black witch finally cracked a dark smile upon proclaiming this, her eagerness for this long-awaited day hard to keep hidden. However, before she could revel in her wicked designs for too long, she was interrupted by the dark wizard. "M-Mistress Cia?" he said a bit meekly, much more keen on sucking up to their leader than the more independent dragon lord was. "Please don't punish us too harshly for our… failures… Well, at least don't punish me too harshly. I don't care what you do to Volga."

"What?!" Volga exclaimed, glaring burningly at dark wizard who would so easily leave him to the black witch's wrath. "Why you little-"

"Silence!" Cia cut him off, raising a hand up as she looked between her two generals. "It looks like today is a lucky day for you both. As much as I want to, I don't have the time to give you the proper punishment for letting those eras fall out of our control. Instead, I'll leave you with a single thought. I had four generals when our strike across the ages began, and yet now I only have two left. Zant and Ghirahim perished, and yet for some reason, you two fools, who are somehow even less competent than they were, managed to survive. Consider the generous hand that fate dealt you the next time you think about retreating from battle, because I can personally assure you that neither of you will survive if you fail me again. Understand?"

Though her tone had been calm and relatively quiet, the malice behind her words was obvious. Even though neither Volga nor Wizzro wanted to admit it, they both feared Cia and the power that she wielded. After all, it was through that great power that she had subjugated them both into her employ in the first place.

"So now that the Gate of Souls is closed, what is our next move?" Volga asked in genuine curiosity, seeing as how the black witch's major trump card was gone.

Cia grinned ominously as she held her hands behind her back, reveling in the fact that she already knew exactly what she wanted to do next. "Oh, you needn't concern yourself with that, my dear Volga…" she cooed mysteriously. "Are the pieces are perfectly put together for the next part of my plan. I anticipate that not too far into the future, the Hylian forces will eventually arrive here to face me."

"So… do you want us to stop them before they can even get close, mistress?" Wizzro asked with a confused frown.

"No," Cia said darkly. "I want them to come. For when they do, I will at last put an end to this war. Everything I've ever wanted, everything I've ever dreamed of… will finally be mine. And I will obtain it all on my own! After your most recent failures, I forbid either of you idiots from ruining my plans anymore. For now, consider yourselves regulated to minor strikes and skirmishes until further notice."

Volga and Wizzro exchanged a glance of shock and dismay upon hearing this as they both hastily rose from their lowered positions. "What?!" the dark wizard exclaimed in disbelief. "Misteress Cia, we… we're your generals! You can't just cast us aside like that!"

"I believe I just did," the black witch said succinctly, showing little concern in her tone.

"But this is absurd! You are wasting and squandering my strength!" Volga protested, taking a bold step forward as he completely ignored Wizzro.

"Excuse me?" Cia asked pointedly, her purple eyes shooting the dragon knight a sudden glare. "_Your _strength? Might I remind you that _I _was the very one who gave you that strength in the first place?! Before I came along, where were you? Oh, that's right; you were lazing around in the Eldin Caves with that pathetic group of lizafols you called an army. Face it, Volga. Without me, you're _nothing."_

The dragon knight said nothing in response to this, even though in his mind he wanted to fiercely proclaim that she was wrong. Her power did not hold sway over him; after all, if there was anything any proud dragon hated, it was the feeling of being owned by another. And yet, he held his tongue for only one reason alone: the fact that, even though he hated to admit it, she was still stronger than him and it was her strength that he feared. Her magic was mysterious and mighty, and when she had first attempted to recruit him within the Eldin Caves and he resisted, she had easily obliterated his defenses with a mere flex of her power. At that point, Volga knew that he could not stand against Cia and win, and so he had begrudgingly surrendered, hoping that, at the very least, he could have the chance of gaining some of that great strength by garnishing her favor, something he had apparently failed to do thus far.

"In fact, the very same thing goes for you too, Wizzro," Cia said, turning to the dark wizard after she was satisfied that she had put Volga in his place. "If I hadn't shown up, then you'd still be sealed away inside that ring of yours, hidden away from the rest of the world by those oafish Gorons. Isn't it so much better to be among the living, letting your dark, chaotic powers loose upon the world?"

"…Yes, mistress…" Wizzro said with a frown, not liking the black witch's condescending, patronizing tone. And yet, he couldn't very well deny that she was right; it was through Cia's power that he had been awakened from the cursed ring that his spirit had been trapped within centuries ago, eternally binding him to it. And he very well would have remained stuck, immobile within the ring forever if the black witch had not happened upon him, using her dark power to call his specter-like form forth from the cursed piece of jewelry. The dark wizard, being very much a creature of habit, had instantly agreed to follow his savior and serve as one of her generals as both a sign of gratitude for feeing him and a sign of respect at her immense power. And yet, even despite Wizzro's initial eagerness to join Cia, the black witch still had no problem belittling and abusing the dark wizard just as much, if not more than the dragon knight, creating a palpable level of dissention between mistress and servant.

"Very good," Cia said with a commanding nod. "Now that the three of us have come to an understanding, I do believe it's time for you both to go. I don't particularly care _where _it is that you go for now, just know that if I catch either of you interfering with my carefully thought out plans again, you won't have to worry about hearing me vent my frustrations to you again, because I'll put you out of your misery before I can even find the patience to say a single word."

Volga and Wizzro were silent for a long moment as Cia turned away from both of them, having nothing else to say to either of them. Both of them were scowling bitterly as they slowly turned towards the large, elaborate door leading out of the Temple of Souls. However, before they completely left the room, their mistress called out to them one last time, not turning towards them as her tone was icy, yet even.

"Oh, and Volga? Wizzro?" the black witch began as both of her generals stopped and glanced her way. "I don't want either of you to _ever_ so much as try tolay a finger on my hero again. I don't think either of you will have think too hard about what will happen to you if you do."

"Yes, Mistress Cia," the dragon knight and the dark wizard said in unison, their tones equally dull and exasperated as they left the black witch to her own devices.

"Whatever her plan is," Wizzro said to Volga as soon as the doors to the main palace chamber were shut and he was sure Cia couldn't overhear them. "It's not going to work. You know that as well as I do, right?"

"Well of course I do," the dragon knight said with a scoff, glaring back towards the room the black witch was still in, still feeling the sting of the verbal lashing she had just given them both. "Even if she has the golden power, the chances of her claiming that hero in the way she wants to are slim. If I can say nothing else for that foolish boy, it's that he's aggravatingly strong-willed, to be sure."

Wizzro nodded in agreement, his mouth shifting into his lone, glowing eye as he still somehow managed to speak. "And yet… she managed to subjugate both of us into her control through the lull of her power, didn't she?" he asked, the slightest bit of shame in his otherwise haughty tone. "So does that mean that the hero, a mere human child who doesn't even possess any magic at all, is stronger than even the two of us?"

"That child is _not_ stronger than me!" Volga nearly roared in sudden anger, his pride getting the better of him as a burst of hot flame flowed out of his mouth with his proclamation. "And I shall prove that to Mistress Cia once and for all! The next time I meet him in battle, I will bring that pathetic boy to his knees!"

The dark wizard chortled teasingly upon hearing this, his mouth reappearing in a cocky grin. "Oh how cute… Looks like the little dragon knight is jealous…" he mocked callously, nudging the dragon knight with his bony elbow.

"What?!" Volga snapped, crossing his arms as he gave Wizzro a look of disgusted confusion. "Why would you even think-" The dragon knight cut himself off as his glare deepened, feeling a sudden warmth build up his cheeks as he grew even more flustered. "You cackling, old fool! Who would I even be jealous of in the first place!?"

"The hero, of course," Wizzro stated plainly, amused at the dragon knight's increasing embarrassment. "Don't think I haven't seen the way you eye Mistress Cia. It must burn you up inside to see a woman of immense beauty and power like her swoon over a meager child of men the way she does… And I bet that explosive temper of yours will finally burst when and if she does have her way with him."

"Silence!" Volga growled angrily, baring his draconian fangs as he clenched his fists tightly. "You couldn't possibly be more wrong! I couldn't possibly have eyes for Mistress Cia! She is but a human, even despite her great magic, and if you knew anything at all, then you would know that humans are absolutely detestable in the eyes of my people. I only follow her for her might, and _nothing _else. And if you ever so much as _think _otherwise, then I'll tear you to pieces myself!"

The dragon knight didn't even give the dark wizard a chance to respond as he stormed off, letting out a hateful growl as he left the temple entirely and quickly shifted into his dragon form, using his large wings to immediately take flight. Wizzro lingered for a moment as he watched Volga fly off, still chuckling coyly to himself as he shook his head knowingly. "Not if that hero tears _you _to pieces first, Volga," he said quietly, his tone sinister as he let out another cold laugh before disappearing in a burst of dark magic.

* * *

Cia was still frowning in aggravation even after Volga and Wizzro had left, wishing that she had more competent generals to lead her forces than the ones she had to deal with. When she had first recruited the two of them, her intention had been to let them be the forerunners of her army, commanding her forces directly while she manipulated the war from behind the scenes. And yet, how could she keep her tactical advantage up when her own commanders continued to blunder over and over again?

"It doesn't matter," the black witch said to herself with a bitter sigh as she began to ascend the elegant staircase that lead to the temple's top floor, where her private chambers were located. "The only thing that matters now is him…"

Cia smiled softly a bit as she passed by a relatively small painting of the hero, skimming it affectionately with her fingertips. She was satisfied in the intricate plans she had come up with, a plan that she had every intention of enacting as soon as she found the perfect opportunity. If everything went accordingly, then she would not only have the object of her affections, but she would have him come to her side willingly. When she was through, he would certainly abandon the princess once and for and be hers and hers alone, forever ruling Hyrule alongside her as they created an empire founded on the strength and beauty of their love.

With graceful steps, the black witch ascended the staircase to her room, a large, ornate, elegant chamber filled with the same manner of décor as the rest of the palace. The gold-accented violet walls were largely covered in images of the hero's various past lives, all of them making Cia's heart stir with love upon seeing them. There was only one large, lone window in the room, looking out towards the palace's rose garden, which was reflected in the elegant, gold-rimmed mirror resting against the wall on the other side of the room. Aside from a sizable mahogany wardrobe, the only other piece of furniture in the room was the king-sized, cushiony bed, laden with a thick, soft blanket and countless pillows. Cia grinned provocatively to herself as she imagined all of the blissful nights her and her hero would spend together in that very bed once they were finally united, when she'd never have to let him go.

The black witch knew that all she had to do now was patiently wait for him to come to her and then everything else would follow. A slim smile was still painting her crimson lips as she stepped up to the window, holding her hands behind her back as she looked out into the mystically clouded skies above and the lush nursery of roses below. From her high vantage point, she wasn't able to the statues of the hero lining the rows of flowers, only the various bursts of color the roses themselves put off amidst the green of the leaves and the brown of the thorns. Cia couldn't help but feel the slightest bit nostalgic as she looked at her beloved roses, a part of her mind recalling the days not too long ago when her and Lana were still one. They had been together, as the sole guardian of time, when they had cultivated their beautiful garden harmoniously and beautifully. The thoughts of both the black witch and the white sorceress had once been in perfect unison, indistinguishable from each other. And yet, for some reason Cia couldn't quite remember anymore, something had come between them, splitting them apart into two complete separate entities. It was as though her own memory had clouded that day from her, even though it had only been a few months ago now. The harmony that had once been so strong had suddenly been torn asunder, and in turn, they had been torn apart, quite possibly forever.

A sudden pang of regret ran through the black witch as she continued to stare at the roses, holding a hand over her heart tenderly with a thoughtful frown on her face. She didn't really know how to explain it, but without Lana, she felt somewhat… empty, which did make sense. After all, a piece of her was literally gone, missing forever, and she couldn't really understand why. What had really driven her and Lana to split apart? What had destroyed the harmony between them? And most importantly, why couldn't they be reunited?

Cia shook her head to clear it from such a nonsensical thought; of course, her and Lana couldn't come together again. Their goals were far too different. Though it was clear they both harbored affections for the hero, the white sorceress was devoted to protecting him from the black witch's lust. Not only were they different people now, they stood on two entirely different sides, warring with each other more than just internally now. Whatever final conflict was about to unfold, it would certainly end with one of them perishing, and Cia was determined to make sure it wasn't her. Even if the black witch and the white sorceress had once been one and the same, their union was long over now. The past was in the past, and there would be no going back to it. After all, Cia refused to let anything, even half of herself, hold her back now.

"**The Gate of Souls has been closed in each era, correct?" **the dark voice suddenly spoke to the black witch once more out of nowhere. Cia jumped a bit out of surprise at hearing it, but she was quick to respond.

"Y-yes," she said a bit hesitantly, turning away from the window. "But it was not my fault. Those bumbling fools I call my servants… They were the ones who allowed it to happen! They nearly cost us everything! But fret not; I have the situation completely under control. Such failure will not be tolerated again."

"**It certainly will not," **her patron said, its tone suddenly hostile instead of mysterious as it usually was. **"I know what you are planning next, and clearly, you must be reminded that the hero is not your only goal. There is something far more important you should be devoting your attention to."**

"_Nothing _is more important than him!" Cia proclaimed, a harsh glare crossing her features as her voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I already have the Triforce in my hands! Hyrule is quickly collapsing under the might of my armies! What else could there possibly be!?"

"**Silence, you impudent child!" **the voice shouted angrily, the fury lacing its tone frightening the black witch a bit. **"Do you remember **_**any **_**of what I've told you?! Patience is key if you wish to win this war, as is listening to everything I say. Disobedience will cost you dearly if you are not careful."**

"I am _not _your slave!" the black witch declared, completely taken aback by the forceful manner her patron was taking with her. Before, it had only ever given her advice and guidance; now, it was acting as if she was completely subjugated to its will, something she refused to stand for. "You have no say over what I do and you never did! If I wish to go after my hero, then I shall do so, with or without your approval!"

The voice was silent for a long moment as it seemed to take in what she had said. All the while, Cia held her gaze in a firm glare against the ground, her fists clenched tightly at her sides in frustration. However, before she could have even anticipated it, a sudden burst of agony rippled through her chest, its intensity forcing a shrill scream out of her as she collapsed against her bedframe for support. **"You are wrong," ** the voice suddenly spoke once more, cold malic dripping in its tone as waves of agony continued to spiral throughout the black witch's body, her mind starting to grown inexplicably numb as she fully fell onto the tiled floor. **"You **_**are **_**my slave, and I am your master! Now… I do believe I have need of you once again. I need you to go somewhere for me… And since you have proved yourself to be fairly loyal to me thus far, I trust that you will go, right?"**

"N-no…" Cia muttered in great anguish, her heart racing as her vision began to grow dark. But even so, she was resolved to stand against her _former _patron, especially if it intended on keeping her away from her beloved hero. "I… I'm _done _following y-your orders! Now leave me alone!"

"**Not quite yet," **the voice said ominously as an all new flash of pain filled the black witch, one that was enough to render her into semi-consciousness. As she lay upon the floor, her body paralyzed and her mind growing ever dimmer, she could feel a great power stirring within her, one that could hardly keep itself contained as it all too soon began to take over, knowing she was too weak to do anything about it.** "If only you had listened, child… Then maybe I would have let you have your hero and lived… What a pity…"**

The last thing Cia heard before she slipped into complete unconsciousness was the voice's hateful, wicked, triumphant laughter, ringing in her ears as her mind unwillingly tossed into a darkened void. In its place, something else rose within the black witch instead, seizing control over her body as it callously pushed her mind aside for the moment. This malevolent presence let out a chilling laugh in the black witch's own voice as her eyes opened, revealing that their deep, reddish violet had been replaced with a shining copper. The force that had possessed Cia slowly lifted itself off of the floor, still getting used to existing in a physical form as it turned her towards the mirror. A wicked smirk appeared across the black witch's face as she looked upon herself in the mirror, even if a different set of eyes were the ones looking upon her reflection. Cia herself was still incognizant to the world around her as the evil force let out a powerful, triumphant laugh, satisfied that its plan had succeeded. However, it also knew that it had no time to lose.

Not even needing to call upon the black witch's scepter, the evil one called upon its own power as opposed to Cia's, a dark aura surrounding her as her laugh grew in volume steadily. And, as darkness enshrouded her form, she disappeared from the Temple of Souls entirely, her icy laughter still echoing inside of the lofty room long after she was gone.

* * *

When Cia regained control over her own body once more, she did so slowly and painfully as her form materialized in a burst of dark magic. The black witch let out a pained groan as she stumbled forward a bit, the world blurry through her returned violet eyes. Her entire body ached as though it had been beaten brutally, to the point that it took her several moments to compose herself enough to realize she was no longer in her bedroom in the Temple of Souls at all; instead, she was in a place that was completely unknown to her. It was a large, darkened stone hall, an old and relatively barren place filled with dust and debris. In confusion, Cia glanced around, gathering that this mysterious place might have served as the throne room for a fortress once upon a time, but had since fallen into decay and ruin. A large portion of the ceiling had caved in, allowing the bright light of the full moon to poor into the chamber, particles of dust sparkling in its silent glow. Whatever this place was, it was clear that it had served some important purpose at some point, as a strong aura of power seemed to fill every inch of the room, somehow growing with each passing moment.

Cia only had a moment to take all of this in however, for before she could even wonder how she had gotten here, a new rush of pain pounded in her chest, causing her to double over in agony, letting out a gasp of pain as she nearly collapsed once more. She shut her eyes tightly as she tried to will it away, refusing to let the darkness inside of her try to lay claim once more. However, that wasn't what it wanted anymore.

"**The time has come…"** the voice said, seeming to rumble from outside of the black witch instead of within her as it usually did. Cia's eyes widened as she looked around in fear, realizing that it sounded quite different than it usually did. Instead of a soft, undiscernible whisper or beckoning, it now took on a clear sound, one that could not be denied. It was the voice of a man, deep and powerful, yet haughty and clearly malicious. The black witch didn't recognize it whatsoever, and as she heard it echo throughout the stone chamber, she quickly regained her composure and looked around for its source, trying her best to hide her growing fear.

"Who…?" she asked, her voice much softer and more timid than she had wanted it to sound. Her heart was racing wildly as she felt the sinister presence seem to grow within it, to the point that she could scarcely contain it any longer. The lingering pain she was feeling suddenly climaxed within her chest, as though something as boiling just beneath her skin. With a soft cry of pain, Cia threw her hands over her heart, desperately trying to keep whatever it was held back, but it was far too late. The agony only grew fiercer, to the point that she could no longer take it anymore. She let out a piercing scream of immense pain as it finally burst from her body, unable to keep it from escaping.

Three glowing red orbs ripped out of Cia's chest violently, yet somehow, they left no wound or scar. All at once, the terrible pain was lifted from the black witch, leaving only a gaping sensation of emptiness and a heavy wash of weakness instead as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't even watch as the three orbs circled above her head, steadily rising higher into the air as they glowed even brighter and steadily spun faster. She didn't even know that they had left her body until she heard the man's voice speak once more.

"**I now have three fragments of my spirit…" **he said, the twisted excitement in his tone easy to hear. With a gasp of surprise and terror, Cia looked above her to see the three orbs spiral at an incredible speed, gravitating away from her and to the platform right before her instead. **"My power may not be whole…" **the voice said, his malevolent laughter growing as the orbs shined ever brighter and as the black witch watched in both fascination and fear. **"But my body is returned!"**

As soon as the voice uttered these words, the trio of orbs drew even closer together as they emitted a bright red light, one that flashed out across the entire chamber, blinding the black witch completely. And, when she was able to see again a moment later and once the dust had settled, Cia was unable to conceal her gasp of shock upon seeing the being who had manifested before her.

"You!" the black witch exclaimed, taking a step back as she summoned her scepter to her, knowing that the man who stood before her was one of the most dangerous beings who had ever lived. Though she had not recognized his voice, or even the influence he had once had upon her, Cia immediately recognized his appearance. He was certainly intimidating in his physical form: of a strong, very muscular build and tall, towering over the black witch by several feet. His skin was of a dark greenish pigment and his long, thick fiery red hair hung down his back a ways, a sharp, multi-pointed golden crown set within it, which connected to a red gemstone on his forehead. His bright ginger hair connected to his short beard and thick eyebrows, both of which highlighted his cold, cocky grin and his bright, greedy copper eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. He was clad in sturdy, dark blue armor with red and gold accents and heavy clawed gauntlets, and from his belt hung a short crimson cape, bearing the mark of the largely-extinct Gerudo tribe upon it, signifying his heritage. Overall, the man held an aura that exuded both great power and respect, as well as untold treachery and cruelty.

Cia shook her head as she gripped onto her staff tightly, wavering a bit under the man's calculating, soul-searching gaze as he stared at her with intrigue. "I know you!" the black witch declared as fiercely as she could, remembering watching as this very man before her laid waste to Hyrule countless times in the past. "You're… you're…"

"Ganondorf," he finished for her, his malevolent grin widening as he noticed her obvious fear of him. "_King _of the Gerudo."

The black witch was unable to rip her gaze away from the self-proclaimed Gerudo king, having no idea what to do in his powerful presence. "It… it was you… this whole time…" she said in absolute disgust, glaring up at him as she realized that this wicked man had been her supposed patron all along. "You… You _used _me! I listened to everything you said, and you led me on, but clearly you were lying to me all this time! You didn't want to help me! You only wanted me to bring you back into the world! I can't believe it! I-"

"You served your purpose perfectly, Cia," Ganondorf said cruelly, amused by her realization of his betrayal, something he had planned from the very starting. "I have had many puppets in the past, but by far, you have been my favorite one yet."

"W-what?!" Cia exclaimed, completely aghast as she gripped her scepter even tighter. "I… I can't just…" She shut her eyes tightly, hatred and rage coursing through her. She couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to be fooled by him so easily. She had let him lie to her and persuade her to follow his bidding under the guise that she would be with the one she loved, but it was clear to the black witch now that the Gerudo king never had any intention of keeping up his end of their bargain. She knew all too well the kind of games he liked to play, and she refused to be a player in this one any longer. "You're wrong. I am NO ONE'Spuppet, especially not yours! I know who you are and what you do. You manipulate and then you destroy, seeking to quench your insatiable lust for blood. Your hands have soiled this land countless times, but what I cannot forgive is the blood of the heroes that you have so callously spilt. They courageously strike you down time and time again, and yet you still have the nerve to return each time. But this time, I can promise you that there will be no return for you, even if I have to cast you down myself!"

Ganondorf smirked mockingly at this, keeping his stoic composure up much better than Cia was. "Such noble ambitions," he mused haughtily. "You're right, of course. I've faced many a hero in my time, each weaker than the last. Nothing but a bunch of overzealous little boys deluded into thinking they hold courage when it is nothing more than brash foolishness. I'm sure whoever the hero of this age is will be no different."

"How _dare _you speak of any of them like that!" the black witch hissed hotly, refusing to let anyone speak ill of the heroes she loved so much. "Not once have you ever managed to successfully cast one of the down, and do you know why? Because they have hearts of iron and spirits of steel! Their courage and determination are unshakable, and unlike you, their true might is always natural and never stolen! Believe what you want, but no matter what era and what battle you face him in, the hero is _always _stronger than you!"

"So you say," the Gerudo king said, still unphased by her boldness. "But what a shame it will be when your precious hero finally meets his end by my blades."

"No!" Cia exclaimed, taking a large step forward as the tip of her scepter glowed with increasing darkness. "You will NOT touch him! I will do whatever I have to in order to protect him from you. You will not win! I'll make sure of that!"

Ganondorf let out a cold chuckle at this, clearly not taking the black witch's resolve seriously. "How amusing… You know, Cia, your… blind lust for that hero served me well. Without your childish fantasies of being with him, I might have never found a way to return. And for that, you have my thanks."

The black witch's glare deepened upon hearing the mocking sarcasm in his tone, hating the air of superiority he was taking with her. And yet, as much as she was disgusted with Ganondorf, she was also ashamed of herself for allowing him to return. If she had known that he had been the one calling out to her heart all this time, then she never would have listened to a single word he had said. After all, by expediting his revival, she had certainly put the life of her hero in great danger. Even though she had wanted to save him from the cruel destiny he was always a part of, she had inadvertently thrust him into this violent battle yet again by her own foolishness. And the worst part of it was that she wasn't entirely sure she could even stop it on her own.

"Whatever the case," the Gerudo king continued, his malicious grin turning serious. "Our… alliance is over. Your usefulness to me reached its end the moment you decided to rebel against me. And so, I will break the barrier sealing away the final piece of my spirit myself, without your aid."

"What?!" Cia exclaimed, her eyes widening as she realized that, without the last piece of his evil spirit, Ganondorf was weak. Certainly, if she acted quickly enough, then she could put a stop to this before it even began.

The Gerudo king ignored her as he held his hand up, a fiery aura surrounding it as he spoke. "This body lacks its full potential…" he began, the magic around his hand quickly intensifying as he gave an ominous grin to Cia.

Before the black witch could even see it coming, Ganondorf flung the burst of magic at her in a flash of light. The spell hit her roughly, sending her staff flying out of her hand as she was sent flying back into the large wooden doors of the room. Cia let out a cry of pain as she was knocked brutally against the door, but before she could even collapse to the ground, something restrained her. She let out a gasp of surprise as she realized that she was bound to the door by thick, glowing chains forged of strong magic, to which her own power was absolutely resilient to.

"But that will change…" Ganondorf went on as he finally began to slowly walk down the platform, more burning magic surrounding both of his hands as he held them up. As Cia struggled against the bonds tightly holding her back, she gasped as she felt a great shift in her energy. A golden glow suddenly surrounded her clenched fist, and before the black witch could even do anything, her hand suddenly opened up to reveal three small triangles hovering above it.

"N-no…" Cia muttered in pain as her hand trembled, desperately trying to catch the Triforce before Ganondorf could get his greedy hands on it. After all, she knew all too well that if the Gerudo king were to obtain the golden relic in full, then all would certainly be lost.

"I shall know true power…" Ganondorf said, his wicked grin growing as he continued to approach Cia, completely prepared to the steal the power she had claimed and then dispose of her. "Once I wrest the Triforce from you and conquer all!"

The black witch was nearly in tears of fear as she watched the disjointed pieces of the Triforce begin to float away from her, glowing brightly in reaction to the Gerudo king's great magic. "No!" Cia shouted louder this time, pulling hard against the chains holding her back. "I won't allow this! The Triforce…" she began, closing her eyes tightly as she summoned every ounce of magic she could find, her resolve burning bright as a dark aura surrounded her. "Shall be MINE!"

With an explosion of power, Cia broke the chains upon her, clenching her fist around the Triforce tightly so the Gerudo king could not claim it. For the first time, Ganondorf's confident expression changed to one of surprise, as he certainly had not expected the black witch to actually resist him now. Cia was fueled by adrenaline, her magic, and her determination to protect the hero as she flew forward towards the Gerudo king, her scepter reappearing in her hand as she aimed it towards him, more than ready to destroy him once and for all. However, what the black witch underestimated about her foe was the power he already had. With a mere wave of his hand, Ganondorf repelled Cia without even having to use much magic, sending her flying backwards. The black witch landed in the dark corner of the room roughly, her scepter clattering out of her reach once more. However, instead of letting out a cry of pain, Cia immediately raised her head and glared burningly at the Gerudo king, a new idea overwhelming her thoughts as her heart raced with panic and fury.

The black witch said nothing as Ganondorf began to head towards her once more, intent on claiming the Triforce without resistance this time. However, before he could, Cia did something that he never could have expected. Still scowling bitterly at the Gerudo king, the black witch held her hand out, allowing the Triforce to hover above her palm once more. And, with a powerful shout, Cia threw her hand out, allowing two pieces of the golden relic to fly away from it, shooting upwards to the open ceiling of the chamber at a frightening speed. Ganondorf's eyes widened as he watched the two pieces of the Triforce fly away, leaving the area entirely and all too quickly disappearing out of sight.

However, what shocked the Gerudo king even more was the glowing circle of violet light that had suddenly started to surround him. "What!?" Ganondorf exclaimed in rising fury, quickly spinning around to face Cia once more as the black witch picked herself up off the ground, a look of vengeance and muted satisfaction upon her face. "NO! What did you do!?"

The black witch's violet eyes burned with hatred as she watched her spell take effect, her magic spiraling around the Gerudo king, freezing him in place. "I've put an end to your ambitions," she said firmly, proud of what she had done. "Courage and Wisdom have been returned to their original owners. They are out of your reach."

"You fool!" Ganondorf shouted in absolute rage, watching with shock as the swirls of darkness around him quickly turned into darkened chains. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"I've evened the playing field," Cia said, holding her hand out as she allowed the only remaining piece of the Triforce left in her possession, Power, to float above it. "So long as I draw breath, I will _never _let you hurt him ever again!"

"How dare you!" the Gerudo king screamed, unable to do anything as the black witch's sealing spell took hold of him. "You treacherous wench! I swear by the power of the Triforce that I will destroy you and your precious hero! This kingdom will belong to ME!"

"This kingdom will never be yours," Cia said coldly, knowing that even if she couldn't destroy Ganondorf at the moment, she could at the very least lock him away to prevent him from wreaking any more havoc. "And neither will the Triforce!"

Ganondorf let out a shout of absolute rage, unable to even think of anything else to say in his blind fury. Though he tried to struggle against the black witch's magic, he could do nothing as he sink into the seal the Triforce of Power had made. His infuriated screams died out as the Gerudo king disappeared, finally sealed away as the black witch was left alone.

Cia let out a deep breath as the marks of the seal faded away without trace, as though Ganondorf had never appeared at all. She was still a bit shaken from this encounter, but she couldn't help but take pride in her momentary victory, even if she knew it wasn't a permanent fix. She also knew that what she had just done had come at a great risk to her, and had even set her plans back quite a bit, but it had been necessary. In the moment of truth, she had panicked, and in her fear for what the Gerudo king might do, she had sent the pieces of Wisdom and Courage back to the princess and the hero respectively, leaving her with only Power now. All of her work in claiming them in the first place had been undone, and yet, Cia knew she still had the advantage. Ganondorf was gone for the moment, and if and when he returned, she would be ready for him. The hero once again would have the Triforce of Courage, and with it, he could stand much more of a chance against the wickedness of the Gerudo king. And even more than that, the black witch was resolved to stand at his side and oppose Ganondorf with him, for certainly in rising against him, her and her hero would be united, even if they were not united in anything else. She could not allow that evil man to win, lest the only thing left she truly cared about be lost forever.

"I WILL reclaim the Triforce," Cia said with resolve, speaking more to herself now that Ganondorf was gone. And certainly, the black witch had every intention of doing so. She would slay the princess and retake the Triforce of Wisdom, and then, once the hero was in her arms, he would be more than happy to give the Triforce of Courage over to her. And with its great power, she _would _destroy Ganondorf and conquer Hyrule once and for all. "It shall be mine and mine alone!"

Cia grinned darkly as she clenched her fist, concealing the Triforce of Power once more as she turned away from the place Ganondorf had been, her mission clearer than ever. Even despite this setback, her end goal was in sight. Very soon, she would have the prize she had been after all this time. And then, everything would at last be perfect. "As will the hero…"

* * *

**Ok! So we at last meet Ganondorf! I honestly have to say that writing the interactions between Ganondorf and Cia was so much fun and there certainly will be more of them! Next time around, we'll of course get more bonding between our various heroes, as well as the start of their first mission together to obtain the Master Sword! Now, I actually have quite a lot to say before I go, so listen up! Firstly, I want to announce that I'm going to start replying to your reviews again, since i have more free time these days, so feel free to ask anything in your reviews!**

**Next up, is of course the fact that today was Nintendo's E3 direct which, I have to admit, was very disappointing. Of course, there was no news on Zelda Wii U (what a bummer), but I wasn't really all that excited about that new 3DS game, Triforce Heroes, either. Now the one thing I'm REALLY excited for is actually quite relevant: _Hyrule Warriors 3D! :D_ I'm SO psyched for this, and I'm REALLY excited for the fact that Tetra and the King of Red Lions are getting included as I had wanted both of them from the start! Which leads me to...**

**The chapter question! Ok, so I've already told a few of you guys that I plan on including some of the DLC characters, like Twili Midna and Young Link (but not Tingle cause hahah no). BUT how would you guys feel if I happened to bring Tetra and KoRL into this story? I won't do it unless you guys are all for it, so please let me know how you feel about that, as well as your E3 thoughts, in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	20. The Sacred Sword

_LOOK who's finally back! Yeah, this one took a while, mostly because I went on a two week long trek to Disney World (Which was AWESOME by the way! I danced with Goofy and got my Frozen shirt complimented by ELSA herself (who is my favorite Disney character BTW) but that's beside the point. I've also been working on some other time-consuming stuff, which I will talk about at the end of the chapter, so stay tuned! But for now, I think I'll go ahead and get back to brass tacks by answering guest reviews again! So here we go!_

_Conner: Oh I love me some Lana/Link too! In fact, if you like that, the next chapter after this one might be a pleasant surprise for you! But as far as writing side stories for HW, I was thinking the exact same thing! In fact, you might wanna stay tuned for the special announcement I have at the end of the chapter (wink wink) :D_

_Kamila: Oh you KNOW I'm bring Twili Midna in here! She's too awesome not too! And you're actually pretty much right on the money about how it happens, considering that's how I thought it should have gone down in the game! And how could I not include more scenes between Ghirahim and Fi (I am a closet GhiraFi shipper after all!)_

_Ok, so I know there's not many, but there were a LOT of reviews this time around and I cannot thank you ALL enough for finally helping this story reach **500 reviews!** Seriously guys, I am simply overwhelmed with joy for having a story be this successful. I could have never dreamed that this would become so popular! Again, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL! Ok ok... heheheh... ;D Now that my creepy moment is over, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 19: The Sacred Sword_

It had been almost a week since the Hylian forces had reunited from across the various eras, and since then, very little progress had been made in planning their next move. A large part of the reasoning behind this standstill was that no one was really sure where to go or what to do next. Cia's forces had, for the most part, been driven out of the other eras, as well as most of the villages and towns in the Hyrule of the present. However, that didn't mean that the threat wasn't there anymore; after all, the black witch was still out there somewhere, most likely planning her next strike, and the Hylian army had to be ready for it. The only problem was that no one, not even the tactful first general of the army or the knowledgeable white sorceress, knew how to prepare for the inevitable return to action.

And yet, the other large contributing factor to the momentary lax atmosphere was the fact that two of the army's most important leaders could scarcely be found when battle plans needed to be made or advances needed to be thought out. It frustrated Impa to no end that nearly every time she went to fetch the princess for a war meeting, she had wandered away from camp long beforehand. And of course, it didn't take much thinking for the Sheikah guardian to realize the reason behind Zelda's absence when she would go to search for Link and realize that he was gone as well.

Though Impa had never seen the princess and the hero leave or return together, she suspected that their frequent prolonged periods of absence were connected. After all, ever since they had reunited, the two of them had struck up a unique kind of comradery, one that both fascinated the Sheikah guardian, but at the same time, made her wary. Whenever Link and Zelda were merely in the vicinity of one another, anyone could clearly see their smiles grow larger and brighter, their laughter become warmer and easier to come by, and their eyes never leave each other unless they absolutely had to. Of course, some of the more forward members of the group, such as Midna or Darunia, had a penchant for lightheartedly teasing the two of them about what their budding friendship certainly looked like from a distance, but both the princess and the hero swore they were friends and nothing more. After all, how could they be anything else when they had only known each other for a few weeks?

And yet, unlike the other allies who thought the developing bond between Link and Zelda was adorable and sweet, Impa knew better. From years of knowing and being at the princess's side, the Sheikah guardian knew full well that Zelda, in her sheltered life within the castle walls, had been largely deprived of much casual interaction, especially with young men her age. And though Impa trusted Link enough with the princess's safety and knew that he certainly wouldn't try anything, she still couldn't help but feel a bit overprotective of her young charge, to the point that she had tried, on more than one occasion, to track the two down and make sure they were maintaining a proper relationship. However, with the weight of the war still largely on her shoulders, Impa found it hard to keep up with the two youths in the midst of her constant planning and formulating, leaving the two youths to largely do as they pleased, unsupervised.

And yet, even if Impa had been able to spy on them, she would have found that, in their precious moments of free time, Link and Zelda were doing nothing untoward, even though her assumptions of them being alone together were correct. On this particular day, the princess had managed to slip away from camp before the sun even slipped above the horizon, completely evading both the detection of Impa or her guards. And though Zelda knew she would have to spend the early hours of the morning alone, she still waited patiently for Link to awaken and join her, finding that her patience was wearing thin and her excitement was rising because of him. And, sure enough, he had come to meet her, just as she had known he would.

Their private meetings had started largely on accident. The day after the reunion, after a particularly taxing war meeting, the hero had found himself eventually slipping away from camp entirely, taking to the calm of nature to ease his nerves. But what Link hadn't been expecting was for the princess herself to suddenly join him in the cool of the evening, running into him without really meaning to after the war meeting had finally ended. And, without any provocation, the two had slowly, yet suddenly launched into hours of unending conversation, sharing stories and laughs that had lasted late into the night. Yet neither of them had noticed as time wore on, as they both found they immensely enjoyed each other's company. Though Cia's threat still often lingered at the back of Zelda's mind, she always found herself forgetting about it and relaxing whenever she was around Link, amazed that his mere presence alone was like the calm amidst the storm to her. In the same way, the hero was absolutely enchanted by the princess, bewildered that someone was beautiful and intelligent as her would even waste her time talking to someone as simple and common as him. But even so, there was no denying that the two of them enjoyed their time together, for when they were with each other, it seemed as though everything else seemed to fade away completely.

The mid-afternoon sun was warm and refreshing as the princess and the hero took a leisurely stroll along the shore of a small lake that was relatively close to camp. The waters of the lake were clear and crystal blue, but neither of them noticed it as they shared in an easygoing conversation, neither of them finding that they had to be as formal with each other as they were expected to be when they were before the army they led.

"Wait," Link said, unable to believe what Zelda had just told him. "You mean you've never had someone you own age to hang out with?"

"Well, I've always had Impa…" the princess said thoughtfully as she walked beside him. "She's always been there for me, and the two of us certainly are close… But she's still fifteen years my senior. The age difference between us doesn't seem so drastic now, but when I was little, she was more like a mother to me than a friend. So… no… I suppose I've never really had a companion who was the same age as me before…"

"But… you're the _princess _of Hyrule," the hero said with a frown as he looked over at her.

"Yes, Link," Zelda said with a small, lighthearted laugh, knowing he had pointed out an obvious fact. "And that's exactly _why _I never had any friends as a child. It's a lonely, isolated job, but it was one I was born into. Most people wouldn't want to try and strike up a friendship with the cold, untouchable princess of Hyrule…"

"I would," Link said boldly before he could even catch himself. Of course, the moment he said it, he instantly regretted it out of embarrassment, knowing that he was being far too forward with the princess by even saying that much. "I… I mean…" the hero began to stammer awkwardly, unable to hide the growing rush of red in his cheeks. "Princess… I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"

"No, please don't be sorry," Zelda said with a gentle frown as she looked at him with almost pleading eyes. "You said nothing wrong. In fact, I would highly value the gift of your friendship… That is, if you'd be willing to give it…"

"Zelda, I'd give you anything," the hero said without thinking, internally scolding himself once more on his compulsive honesty. "But… um… I don't really understand why someone like you would want to be friends with someone like me…"

"Someone like me?" the princess asked, raising a curious eyebrow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean… you're the princess," Link began, averting her lovely gaze. "You're easily the most important person in Hyrule, the leader of both the kingdom and its army. And me… I'm just a trainee who got lucky… a nobody…"

"Link, don't say that!" Zelda exclaimed, taking his hand without warning and startling him. The hero turned to the princess with surprise as he noticed her expression, which was a mix of both pity and firmness that somehow made her seem even more boldly beautiful than she already was. "You're not a nobody! You're the chosen Hero of Hyrule! And not just that, you're third in command over the entire army! Don't believe for a moment that luck was what brought you here; it was destiny, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will fulfill that great destiny. But… even if you weren't the hero or the second general… I would still be honored to be considered your friend, not just because of what you are, but because of _who _you are…"

"Wow…" the hero said in absolute bewilderment, completely unable to take his eyes off the princess after hearing her touching words. "Zelda… I… I don't know what to say… No one's… ever said anything like that to me before…"

"Well, it's something you deserved to hear…" Zelda said, a bit flustered herself as she blushed slightly. She wasn't sure why, but it was as though whenever she was around Link, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind as she used to be, almost as if he inspired an all new kind of courage in her, one that emboldened her and drove away fear. "Everyone knows and believes that you are our hero, Link. Its time you finally started believing that too…"

The hero couldn't help but smile warmly upon hearing this, her elegant words inspiring him and making him feel as though he was worth more than gold. It was as though she had blessed him with a strange new sense of confidence, and in this confidence he knew that he would gladly do anything to live up to the standards of greatness she held him within. After all, the last thing Link ever wanted to do was let someone as wise, kind and amazing as Zelda down.

However, before Link could even accept Zelda's kind statement, he felt a suddenly, strangely familiar burst of warmth brimming on the back of his hand, one that he hadn't felt in quite some time. The princess was quick to gasp in surprise as she felt the very same sensation upon her own hand, and simultaneously, the pair both lifted their hands up to see the source. The glowing mark of the Triforce was shimmering brightly on both of their hands, the Triforce of Wisdom on Zelda's, and the Triforce of Courage on Link's. Both of them exchanged a furtive glance, knowing full well that these marks had been absent for weeks now, ever since Cia had stolen them away.

"The Triforce?!" the princess exclaimed in disbelief at the crest of wisdom still glowing on her hand, resonating in response to the piece the hero held. "But… how is it possible? Cia took them from us…"

"Maybe it means Cia's finally gone," the hero suggested, even though he knew it was a lame guess. Certainly the black witch wouldn't have gone out without any fanfare, but nonetheless, Link wanted to be optimistic for Zelda's sake, especially since the princess had confided in him that she still harbored some fear over Cia after their horrific first encounter.

"I wish…" Zelda said wistfully, knowing that the war would finally be over if that were true. "But I highly doubt it. Still, this makes no sense. One of Cia's main goals was the Triforce, and certainly she still has Power…"

"You don't think she'd just… give them back to us, do you?" Link asked with a thoughtful frown, just as confused as the princess was.

"Again, I doubt it," the princess said, shaking her head with a sigh of frustration. "For now, I think it would be best if we return to camp. I have a bad feeling about this. Cia might be setting the stage for whatever her next move might be and I want us to be ready for it. Now, let's go."

The hero sighed in disappointment over the fact that their peaceful afternoon had been ruined, but nonetheless, he followed the princess, knowing that despite their blossoming friendship and the precious time they enjoyed spending together, they still had a war to fight.

* * *

The Hylian camp was bustling in the early hours of the afternoon as the soldiers practiced their drills and restocked their supplies. The troops had been stationed at their current position for several days now, as it was an ideal place to settle down for a while. It was a relatively remote location, only a few miles away from a gathering of old ruins that had been untouched for generations, and even better than that, the lake was mere minutes away, giving the troops an unlimited source of water, something that had pleased the Zora princess and the soldiers she had brought with her very much.

It didn't take Link and Zelda very long to find Impa amidst all of the buzz; the Sheikah guardian was gathered just outside the war planning tent, with all of their new allies from the other eras gathered around her. The only one who seemed to be absent was Lana, but both the princess and the hero assumed that she was somewhere nearby. Before they even arrived to the collective circle, the pair could already tell they were having a time at brainstorming strategies and ideas for their next more, and with each new suggestion, it was clear to tell who had brought them up.

"Well, I say we just go find that witch and her army and just smash 'em all!" Darunia said boldly, giving a heaty, daring laugh as he cracked his knuckles as a show of his strength. "They'll never see it coming!"

"Do not think me rude, Sir Darunia, but I estimate that there is only a 10% chance that a direct strike such as the one you are suggesting will work," Fi said eloquently, not noticing as the Goron patriarch's shoulders drooped in disappointment. "In its place, I recommend waiting for the enemy to approach us before attacking, so that we may battle them on a ground we are familiar with."

"Like that's gonna work," Midna scoffed, crossing her arms as she floated in midair. "What we need is a diversion, a way to trick the witch into thinking she's won before we sneak up on her and take her down! And once she's gone, this dumb curse will finally be lifted…" The Twilight Princess bitterly muttered the last sentence under her breath, but it was still loud enough that most of them were able to hear it.

"Please," Ruto cut in, rolling her eyes at this plan. "She'll never fall for something like that. What we really should do is lay siege to her base, wherever it is, and barricade her and her forces in until they finally crack. It may sound ruthless, but I know it's bound to work!"

"Oh, oh! I have an idea!" Agitha exclaimed, raising her hand excitedly. "We should invite the baddies to a picnic! My insect friends and I could bring cake!"

All of the other allies gave the insect princess curious looks, but none of them insulted her suggestion, as it was made in her innocence. And so, they all simply ignored it, moving on with their strategizing.

"I realize you all are eager to mobilize again," Impa said patiently. "But I don't want to make any final plans until Princess Zelda and Link return. We all need to be in one mind about what we're going to do moving forward, especially the two of them."

"Well then, it looks like we made it back just in time," Link suddenly interrupted with a clever smirk as him and Zelda joined the group.

"For Din's sake, it's about time you two got back," the Sheikah guardian said with a groan of aggravation, raising an eyebrow at the pair. "You've been gone for hours. What were you up to?"

"Oh, I think we all know what they were up to…" Midna said with a sly snicker as she gave Link a knowing look. The hero glanced down awkwardly, his cheeks reddening in flusterment as he tried to come up with some way to defend himself, but thankfully, the princess spoke up first.

"Um, yes… well…" Zelda stammered, maintaining her composure much better than Link had. "Link and I actually have just made a discovery that might give us a better idea about what to do next." The princess was quick to hold her hand out to show the mark of the Triforce glowing upon it, and likewise, the hero did the same so that everyone could see.

"Since when did the two of you get those back?" Impa asked in clear confusion. "I saw Cia steal them from both of you."

"They just showed up again a few minutes ago," Link explained. "And we have no idea why."

"Oh! You two bear the crest of the goddesses?!" Ruto exclaimed with genuine curiosity.

"Whoa!" Darunia cut in with a look of awe on his face. "What, are they like tattooed on the back of your hands?"

"Hey, the Link and Zelda of my time have those marks on their hands too!" Midna said, not even bothering that the hero, the princess, and the Sheikah guardian were all trying to get a word in edgewise. "I guess proves you guys really are related to them."

"I conjecture that those marks are more commonly referred to as the Triforce, a powerful relic created by the goddesses of old," Fi reported, informing all of their allies who were unaware of the golden relic. "And I can also confirm that the crest of Wisdom has indeed returned to you, Princess Zelda, just as the crest of Courage has been restored to you, Master Link."

"Ooo, they're so shiny!" Agitha remarked with an amazed grin, standing on her tip-toes so she could see the glowing triangles.

Link and Zelda were finally about to speak up again, before they were interrupted by the final member to join the group. "I see that your Triforce has returned…" Lana said to Zelda specifically, unable to hide the clear bewilderment in her voice as she joined the circle and glanced at the princess's hand, having not noticed that the hero's crest had reappeared as well.

"Y-yes," Zelda said a bit nervously, averting Lana's gaze. Ever hearing that the white sorceress and the black witch had once been the same entity, the princess had secretly been trying to avoid Lana as much as she could, out of a fear she knew was absolutely irrational, but one that still bothered her all the same. Zelda couldn't help but associate her negative feelings and lingering fear of Cia with Lana, even though she knew well that the two of them were nothing alike. But all the same, after everything that had happened, the princess wasn't sure if she was exactly ready to be on friendly terms with the white sorceress yet, especially considering her connection to the woman who had threatened her and nearly killed her. "Mine, and Link's too, actually…"

The princess's anxious sigh went unnoticed as the hero held up his hand to show off the mark of the Triforce of Courage, and nodded. "It's true," he said, even if he still didn't understand exactly how.

"Hm…" Lana mused with a thoughtful frown. "Well, that's odd…"

"Do you have any idea how this happened, Lana?" Link asked, still not noticing the fact that Zelda was intentionally looking away from both of them out of her remaining fear.

"I… have a theory," the white sorceress said with only half-certainty. "It's not exactly clear how, but I think that maybe Cia's power has been diminished enough for her to lose her hold on the pieces of Wisdom and Courage. Something must have happened to make her vulnerable, which means that if we're going to counterattack, we need to do it now!"

"But even if the crests of Courage and Wisdom are out of her hands, Cia still holds the Triforce of Power," Impa advised calmly. "With its might, she's still a great threat to Hyrule at large. She won't be overtaken so easily…"

"Plus, if we go face her again, won't she just take the other pieces of the Triforce again?" Link asked with a frown.

"No," Zelda said boldly, her expression resolved and firm as she stepped into the center of the group. "She won't. Things will be different this time. We can win. As long as we have the Master Sword…"

"Ah… the legendary Blade of Evil's bane…" Impa said, knowing of the sacred sword just as much as the princess did thanks to her vast knowledge on Hylian lore. "A sword such as that may be exactly what we need…"

"Of course!" Lana exclaimed excitedly. "Why didn't we think of using it before!? Cia's dark forces won't stand a chance against its purifying light!"

The princess simply nodded in response to the white sorceress's comment, still not making eye contact with her, something that Lana actually noticed this time and frowned about in curiosity. And yet, instead Zelda turned to Link, giving him a soft, hopeful smile. "I believe Link possesses the spirit necessary to wield its power," she said with absolute certainty, knowing from both his role as the hero as well as his courageous, yet kind personality, that no one would be better for this role.

"W-what?!" the hero exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening upon hearing this. Like nearly everyone in Hyrule, Link had heard tell of the legendary Master Sword, and he knew that it had been wielded by countless heroes in Hyrule's past. However, even despite the fact that he now bore the title "Hero of Hyrule", he largely doubted that he was on the same caliber as the heroes of the ancient legends. Certainly he wouldn't be able to draw the Master Sword and use its great might. Would he? "Zelda…. I mean, p-princess… I don't think I…"

Zelda was quick to interrupt him, not with words, but with a simple raising of her hand so that she could make a gentle gesture that told him to relax and a smile that said she believed in him. However, before she could profess her belief in him, Impa spoke up first.

"But, princess… the Master Sword is more than just a weapon," the Sheikah guardian began, crossing her arms as she gave the hero a judgmental look. "It's a barrier. It's been said that it keeps a fragment of an ancient evil locked away. Once pulled, that spirit might be freed…"

"Oh, but the barriers surrounding the Temple of the Sacred Sword are made with a special kind of magic," Lana said with a reassuring smile. "Pulling the Master Sword alone won't undo the barrier. Not entirely anyway."

The princess took in an even breath upon hearing this, feeling a bit more confident in her plan knowing that the terrible evil foretold of in the legends would remain dormant, even if they drew the Master Sword. However, as she looked over at Link, she could still tell from his uneasy expression that he didn't quite share the same confidence that she did over all of this.

"Yes, but how can we be sure that Link is truly ready for this task…?" Impa said, still looking at the hero with a hardened expression. Link looked to the Sheikah guardian meekly, somewhat hurt over the fact that, after everything they had been through, she still doubted his ability to serve as Hyrule's hero, even though she had been the first one to hail him as such. He knew that she was often hard on him, but he was surprised that she wasn't willing to give so much as any encouragement whatsoever in this matter.

"Because," Zelda suddenly spoke up, a determined, affectionate smile on her face as her eyes met the hero's. "I believe in him."

Link was stunned speechless upon hearing this, awed that the princess would admit this in front of all of their allies. He had known that she seemed to think highly of him, but to trust him with her kingdom's salvation in such a way… the hero wasn't even sure what to make of it.

"I believe in him too!" Lana exclaimed with a bright smile, her enthusiasm brimming in her spirited tone. Link quickly turned to look to the white sorceress as well, somewhat returning her wide smile even though his was a bit weaker as he tried to take this all in.

"I can confirm that there is a 95% chance that Master Link is the one destined to wield the Master Sword in this era," Fi reported out of the blue. "I can verify this estimate by the fact that I myself am the spirit of the Master Sword, and therefore, I am able to recognize those with the Spirit of the Hero, regardless of the time period. And, by the results of my most thorough scans, there is an incredibly high chance that you wield this very spirit, Master," the sword spirit said, giving a firm, yet still ever-stoic nod to Link.

"I'm with twinkle toes," Midna said with a wide grin, using the nicknames she had come up with nearly everyone. "I think you can do it, scarf boy."

"Same here!" Darunia exclaimed encouragingly, giving the hero a firm pat on the back.

"Oh, yes, definitely!" Ruto said with a nod of certainty as she gave Link a slight flirtatious wink.

"Go, Mister Link!" Agitha cheered brightly, even if she wasn't entirely sure what her friends were discussing, but she wanted to share in on their enthusiasm nonetheless.

"Well, Impa?" Zelda said with a broad smile, turning to her guardian. "Looks like everyone else is giving Link their vote of confidence. What about you?"

Though the princess continued to grin as she waited for the Sheikah guardian to respond, the hero looked to the first general with an anxious expression, not even sure if he was entirely ready to take on such a responsibility himself. The truth was, Link wasn't even certain he'd be worthy of wielding such a powerful, sacred weapon, one that was so important to Hyrule's mythos and history. The last thing he wanted was for all of them to find it only for him to not be able to even draw it from its pedestal, leaving Hyrule without its great might on their side.

"Well…" Impa began, her tone musing and easy as she gave the hero an examining gaze. "If you were looking for a chance to prove yourself, Link, then this just may be it. But be aware that the Master Sword is no mere toy; wielding it means that you must fully devote every part of yourself to the role of the hero, even more than you already have. You must negate yourself and think only of the land and the people who depend on you. When you are the hero, it means they are everything, and you are nothing. Are you certain that you are ready for such a heavy burden?"

Zelda took in a short, uneasy breath upon hearing all of this as she quickly looked over at Link, a sudden fear filling her heart. She knew that Impa was only trying to inspire him, but the princess couldn't help but feel a bit worried. After all, she absolutely did not want the hero to believe that he was worth nothing when compared to herself or the people of Hyrule as a whole. She understood that he had to be dedicated to his task, but she didn't want him taking his selflessness to far, lest it be his downfall in the end. Already he had proven that he would risk everything, even his very life for the kingdom; what would happen if he actually followed through on giving himself up for that purpose once and for all?

However, before Zelda could even try to change Link's mind, he finally spoke up, having steeled himself into accepting everything Impa had just told him. He knew well that, even if he had not known about it until after the war had begun, he was still somewhat responsible for the anguish Hyrule was going through at Cia's hands thanks to the twisted affections and lust she had for him. And even if he couldn't have prevented it in any way, Link knew that he had to ultimately be the one to end this violent conflict, before any more innocent lives were lost in his name. The Sheikah guardian had been right; there were so many people he had to protect, and as long as he was called their hero, his own insignificant existence meant nothing when compared to all of them. For the sake of Hyrule, its princess, and its people, he would gladly give up every part of himself until there was nothing left.

"Yes," Link said with resolve and determination, knowing that he would never take this vow back. "I'm ready. And I promise, I won't let _any _of you down, no matter what I have to do."

Zelda couldn't help but frown as she noticed that the hero kept his gaze on her specifically as he said this, knowing that he intended this promise for her more than anyone else. And yet, as much as the princess had her own fears about what could possibly come, she nodded in acceptance of this nonetheless, praying that Link wouldn't have to sacrifice too much in the tremendous task he had just undertaken.

"Then… I suppose we make haste for the Temple of the Sacred Sword," the princess said, her tone only half firm as she turned away from the group to prepare. "Gather the troops and tell them we're moving out towards the ruins in an hour."

"Yes, princess," Impa said with a nod before she spoke to the rest of the group. "Let's go."

Everyone was quick to disperse to get ready to leave, and yet the white sorceress was the only one to notice that the princess and the hero had lingered behind. She paused for a moment as she walked away, a small part of her wanting to eavesdrop of their conversation, though she quickly thought better of it as she realized that the two of them most likely had much to talk about.

It didn't take too long for Zelda to realize that Link was still standing behind her, and when she turned to face him once more, she was bemused to find that he was not looking at her, but rather he was holding the end of his scarf in his hands, staring intently at the Hylian crest stitched upon it with a somewhat worried expression. "Is… something wrong, Link?" Zelda asked a bit hesitantly.

"Oh, uh… nothing's wrong, Zelda," the hero said, quickly letting go of his scarf as he averted her questioning gaze, even though the anxiety remained in his expression.

"Are you sure?" the princess pressed, knowing that she couldn't possibly understand what he was feeling right now, as she had been born into a role of great importance and had never known anything but. "Because… if something is bothering you, you know you can feel free to tell me about it… Anything at all…"

Link finally met Zelda's gaze upon hearing this, his calm exterior finally crumbling as he realized that she had openly told him about her own fears when it came to Cia; he only owed it to her to share his newfound doubts with her as well. "It's just… what if I'm not… worthy of drawing the Master Sword?" he asked, letting out the sigh he had been holding back. What if Impa was wrong about me? What if… what if I'm not really the hero after all?"

"Link, I know you are the hero," the princess said, taking his hand in hers as she ran her thumb over the mark of the Triforce of Courage. "The fact that you possess this alone proves that you are."

"But what if that's not enough?" the hero asked, drawing his hand away from her as he looked down. "I just… I _really _don't want to fail you or Hyrule… I know this might sound pathetic, but… ever since my family was… killed… I've always sort of blamed myself for not being strong enough to protect them… And now, all of the sudden, I have to protect the entire kingdom and its princess… I would never forgive myself if I was responsible for losing either of you… After all, you… you both mean a lot to me…"

"Oh, Link…" Zelda said, her voice but a pitied whisper as she fought back tears upon hearing him open up about his insecurities in such an honest way. "I… I don't… You… You're…" The princess took in a deep breath as she tried to find the words to say in response to what he had just told her, not even knowing where to begin. "Link, you've… you've already done so much for both of us… And _that's _exactly why I have so much faith in you. You are devoted, you are dedicated. You have the makings of a _perfect _hero. That's why I believe—no, I _know _you are worthy of wielding the Master Sword. You are worthy of saving Hyrule. You are worthy of being the hero, no matter what anyone else says. I already believe in you, and like I said before, now you need to believe in yourself."

Link was silent for a long moment as he took all of this in, knowing that once again, the princess's infallible wisdom was correct. All at once, her reassuring words helped to chase his doubts away, for he knew that he would never give up so long as it meant he could keep her safe. Her belief in him empowered him, her confidence in him propelled him forward. And the hero knew that so long as he was able, he would never stop fighting for the princess and the kingdom that he placed his own faith in as well. "I will," he said with no sign of insecurity in his tone, but rather courage and resolve. "Now let's go. We have a sword to get."

* * *

Fortunately for the Hylian troops, their princess had thought ahead when she had settled their camp close to the ancient ruins where the Temple of the Sacred Sword rested within. They only had to march about an hour or so to get there, which was why only a small force had gone, one that consisted of Link, Zelda, Impa, Lana, Midna, Agitha, Ruto, Darunia, and Fi, along with a few elite soldiers. According to the Sheikah guardian, they would most likely not meet much resistance in a place that had been untouched for years, especially since the enemy had no knowledge of their new plan; or so they hoped.

The ruins surrounding the Temple of the Sacred Sword had, at a time, most likely been a great city, quite possibly home to many people who lived near the Master Sword's resting place in order to protect it. However, in the centuries since the place had been mysteriously abandoned, it had fallen into disarray and disrepair. Quite a few of the sturdy stone buildings had crumbled completely, and the few that were still standing didn't look like they would for two much longer. Vines and plant life had claimed many of the fences and gates, and a thin coating of dust lay on nearly every artificial surface within the former city. However, even despite the echoing silence of the area, there was an overwhelming feeling of peace within the walled ruins, something that the Hylian forces gladly welcomed as they journeyed into them.

"This place is nothing but ruins!" Proxi commented to Link as they arrived with the small force they had brought along. "Can the Master Sword really be here?"

"It must be in there," the hero said, nodding to the large, elegant building on the other side of the ruins, a place that certainly looked like it lived up to the name Temple of the Sacred Sword with its castle-like architecture and the fact that it was still somehow pristine.

"Alright, listen everyone!" Zelda called everyone to attention as they arrived in a large, roofless building; the perfect place for them to establish their base. "The Master Sword is in the temple up ahead. While I don't think we will encounter too many obstacles, we must still work together and utilize all of your talents and abilities to retrieve it. Our first goal is to awaken the three sealed statues."

"Sealed statues?" Link asked in confusion. "Why can't we just go to the temple and get the sword right now?"

"The entrance to the Temple of the Sacred Sword has a strong magical seal upon it," the princess explained, knowing much about the temple from her research of Hylian lore and sacred places. "The only way to break that seal is to awaken the sealed statues, which are each hidden somewhere in these ruins."

"So… find the statues, wake them up, and get in the temple?" Midna asked as she casually glided by. "Sounds simple enough. Especially since there aren't any little pests running around here…"

"I can start looking for sealed statues!" Lana volunteered readily, holding her tome close to her chest as she prepared to dash out of the keep.

"You and Link both can," Impa said with authority, already formulating an action plan. "And I'll help too. From what I understand though, the rest of you need to be at the ready for when we find them, right princess?"

"Right," Zelda said with a nod. "Legend says that each statue only reacts to a certain type of energy. I'm not entirely sure what energies we'll specifically need, so we'll just have to wait until we find each one to see which of you will be able to awaken it. Until then, you can all wait here and help me maintain our base, just in case Cia's forces somehow attack us."

"What do you mean by 'energies'?" Darunia asked in clear confusion.

"I believe the term energies, in this usage, refers to abilities such as fire, water, light, and Twilight, amongst others," Fi informed.

"Each statue was built in a different era of Hyrule's history," Zelda went on after the sword spirit's explanation. "Which leads me to believe that you all specifically will be able to awaken them, as you all come from different eras yourselves. Of course, it's just a theory, but for now, it's our only lead we have to go on for getting into that temple. According to legend, the statues are located to the the south, east, and west."

"Then we might as well get started," Impa said, already leading the way out of the base with the hero and the white sorceress following close behind. "I'll start searching to the west. Lana, you go south, and Link, you take to the east. As soon as you find one of the statues, come back here and report to Zelda. Got it?"

Link and Lana both nodded in affirmation of this plan, and with no further instruction needed, the trio split off on their own to look for the sealed statues. The rest of their allies were content to patiently wait for them to return, seeing as how there wasn't much else they could do with no nearby enemies to fight.

There were three keeps to the west of the allied base, and to the Sheikah guardian's good fortune, she managed to locate one of the sealed statues upon entering the westernmost one of them first. The statue stood at the back end of the gated keep, and it took on the appearance of a beautiful, winged young woman clad in a long flowing gown. Her eyes were shut and her thick hair was long as it flowed down like a winding river. The emblem on the woman's chest immediately told Impa that this statue was supposed to represent the goddess of Wisdom, Nayru, and based on the two shining blades she held crossed above her palms, it would most likely take the power of a certain sword spirit to activate it.

Lana also made quick work of finding the next sealed statue, having gone directly south from the allied base to the southernmost keep within the entire ruined city. The white sorceress dashed into the empty keep to see another statue, this one bearing an elegant figure quite similar to the first statue's save for her hair tied into a high, long ponytail, her form-fitting dress and the mark of the goddess of Power, Din, upon her chest. Above her hands rested two medallions: a red one with a flame upon it, and a blue one with the design of a snowflake on it. Lana grinned to herself, recognizing what those symbols meant and exactly who they were related to, knowing that two of their allies in particular would be needed in awakening this statue.

Meanwhile, to the east, Link had happened upon the final statue rather quickly, but unlike Lana and Impa, he didn't immediately race back to the base to tell everyone. Instead, he stood before the statue for a moment or two, staring at the woman it depicted intently. Above one of her hands, she held a figurine of a pink butterfly, and above the other was a smaller version the very same headdress Midna always wore, the Fused Shadow, as she had called it, but the hero had hardly paid much attention to them. Instead, what he had noticed was the woman herself, who wore a simple, yet lovely gown, and hand long, straight hair, though some of it was tied into two buns that rested atop her head. Though her eyes were closed, her lips bore a benevolent smile and as the hero looked upon her, he could feel the Triforce of Courage glow warmer and brighter upon the back of his hand.

"Is something wrong, Link?" Proxi asked as she came to rest upon his shoulder, noticing just how mesmerized he was with the statue.

"Who is that?" Link asked, his voice soft and almost reverent as he continued to stare at the statue.

"Hm… I think that's the goddess of Courage, Farore," the fairy said, basing her knowledge off of the mark on the woman's chest. "Why do you ask?"

"I know this may sound crazy but… I feel like I've seen her before… Like… like I _know _her from somewhere…" the hero said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I just don't know where."

"Uh… are you sure, Link?" Proxi asked in clear confusion, not entirely believing him. "I mean… she's one of _the _golden goddesses. No one in recent history has ever even seen them before! I don't know how you could possibly-"

"Halt!" a sudden, unfamiliar shout sounded out from behind the hero and he was quick to spin around with a hand already on the hilt of his sword to discover its source. A large group of soldiers had gathered behind him, however, they bore no semblance to any soldiers Link had ever seen before. Aside from the armor they wore, which was archaic and antique compared to the armor most Hylian soldiers wore, they all bore a strange, almost ghost-like pallor. They hardly seemed tangible considering the ethereal white glow surrounding all of them, which gave both the hero and the fairy the idea that they were no longer part of the living any longer.

"Who are-" Link began to ask, but he was abruptly cut off before he could finish.

"Be gone, evil-doer!" one of the ghost soldiers commanded unflinchingly as he raised his blade. "Those who would threaten the temple _will _be punished!"

"But we're not here to threaten anything!" the hero protested, drawing his own sword for self-defense. "We only want the sword, and we-"

"Silence! The sacred sword is only to be wielded by the hands of the hero! All those who try to defile it must be eliminated!"

Link was quick to block the first strike from one of the soldiers with his shield as he continued to try and reason with them. "But I _am _the hero!" he exclaimed, even though a bit of his doubt was starting to return to him. After all, if these ghosts were meant to protect the temple, wouldn't they simply let him in willingly if he truly was the chosen hero?

"They won't listen!" Proxi said, flittering anxiously above the hero's head. "We might as well just fight through them so we can get back to the princess! After all, they're already dead, so it's not like we're really hurting any of them."

Link let out a disappointed sigh, knowing that this undead resistance would certainly outnumber the small, largely unprepared force they had brought with them, but he knew what had to be done. And so, the hero began to plow his way through the ghostly forces, swinging his blade skillfully and deftly at any one of them who tried to hit him. Considering the fact that their weapons managed to bounce off his own blade as though they were real, the hero theorized that they were at least somewhat tangible, though he wasn't sure if they were truly capable of hurting him and he didn't really want to find out.

Upon arriving back to the allied base, Link wasn't all too surprised to see that Lana and Impa had beat him there, and judging from how out of breath the two of them were, it was a safe bet that they had encountered some of the enemy specters as well.

"What?!" Zelda exclaimed upon hearing the report that Impa had just given her. "Ghost soldiers? Are you absolutely certain?"

"I saw them with my own eyes, princess," Impa said with a nod as she sheathed her giant blade. "While they go down easily, there's plenty of them out there. I advise that we all take caution in fighting them. They're not what they seem."

"This is certainly troublesome news…" the princess said with concern, before she turned and noticed that the hero had returned. "Oh, Link! I'm so glad you're back," she said with a smile of relief. "You haven't encountered any of these… ghost soldiers, have you?"

"Yeah," Link said with a frown as he took a glance out of the keep, glad to see that no ghost soldiers had gathered outside of it yet. "But they said that they won't let anyone into the temple but the hero."

"Well that's good!" Lana exclaimed with a smile. "Then they'll just let you go right on in, right?"

"That's just it, though," the hero said with a sigh. "I don't think they're willing to recognize me as the hero."

"It's not their place to," Impa said firmly. "Only the Master Sword itself can do that. These ghosts are most likely the spirits of the soldiers who once protected these grounds centuries ago. They might not recognize you as the hero because you are not of the era they lived in. For now, I say we simply overlook them and worry about those statues. Once they're activated, we can finally get in the temple."

"Yes," Zelda said, agreeing with this plan. "Now, about those statues. What did each of them look like?"

"The statue I found had fire and water medallions in its hands," the white sorceress reported.

"Fire?" Darunia asked with an enticed grin, glancing at the megaton hammer slung over his shoulder.

"Water?" Ruto also echoed in equal excitement, thinking the same thing the Goron patriarch was.

"That must be the Statue of Time, otherwise known as the Statue of Wave and Flame," Zelda said with a thoughtful nod. "As its name implies, it was built in the era of the Hero of Time and takes water and fire energy to be activated."

"Well that sounds like the perfect job for me and Sister Ruto!" Darunia exclaimed with a broad grin, placing a firm hand on the Zora princess's shoulder.

"Y-yes!" Ruto said, somewhat startled at the Goron patriarch's sudden show of affection. "We can definitely get that statue activated. Just lead the way and we will have it done in no time at all!"

"Ok, then!" Lana said with a smile, already pointing the pair in the right direction. "I'll take you right to it! Let's go!"

With the white sorceress, the Goron patriarch and the Zora princess already on their way, the Sheikah guardian was quick to tell the princess about the next statue. "The statue I located was wielding two sacred blades in each hand," Impa said, nodding to the west where it was positioned.

"It sounds like that's the Statue of the Sky, or the Statue of Servitude," Zelda said, already looking in the direction of the sword spirit. "Fi, I do believe that you are the one who can awaken it, especially if it was built in the same era that you were made in."

"I concur, princess," Fi said with a nod and a small, respectful bow to the young royal. "I believe that there is a very large chance that my abilities will be necessary in this task. I shall direct myself to the Statue of Servitude immediately."

"Thank you," the princess said with a nod. "Impa, can you go with her and make sure she gets there all right?"

"Yes, princess," Impa said loyally, following behind the sword spirit, who already knew the way.

"And that means the statue you found, Link, must be the Statue of Twilight," Zelda said, turning to the hero.

"Twilight, eh?" Midna said, holding her hands behind her back as she floated between the two of them. "I think I got this one covered, princess. Just lead me to it and I'll get it working, no problem."

"Oh! Oh! Can I help, Miss Kitty?" Agitha asked, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Ugh…" the Twilight Princess groaned in aggravation. "I guess you can… Just don't get in my way, kid. Ok?"

"Ok!" the insect princess said with a bright grin, spinning her parasol in her hands.

"Good," Midna said with an authoritative nod. "Now, come on, scarf boy. Lead the way!"

"Wait!" Link called out after the Twilight Princess and the insect princess, neither of which listened to him as they already left the keep. However, that didn't stop the slightly annoyed hero from turning to the princess one last time before he left. "Zelda… are you sure you're going to be ok here all by yourself?" he asked with concern.

"I'll be fine, Link," Zelda said with a smile, appreciating the fact that he worried for her. "I can handle myself, as you've already seen. Now, get going! Like you said before: you have a sword you need to get."

The hero couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, hearing the clear confidence for him in the princess's tone as it inspired him to action yet again. And so, without any further doubts or questions, Link was off, leaving Zelda behind to watch with a proud smile as he went to fulfill his destiny.

* * *

Accounting for their shared stoicism and tact, Fi and Impa made a pretty formidable team as they worked their way through the crowd of ghost soldiers that was impeding their path. The Sheikah guardian's giant blade was more than enough to handle the weaker weapons of the specters, and as she defeated each one, they would merely disappear into nonexistence, leaving not so much as a trace behind. Likewise, the sword spirit cleaved through any obstacle she faced undaunted, using her sword form and her own sacred light to send the ghost soldiers back to their graves. Thankfully, the Statue of Servitude was the closest one to the allied base, so it took the pair no time at all to reach it. Without question, the keep it rested within was lined with ghost soldiers as well, but both Impa and Fi knew it was nothing they couldn't handle.

Through an unspoken agreement, the Sheikah guardian covered the sword spirit as she approached the statue, making sure that she could perform her task without being hindered. For a long moment, Fi simply stood before the statue as if to examine it, before she suddenly darted high into the air. As she plummeted back down, the sword spirit transformed into the form of the Goddess Sword and spun in fast swipes, before finally landing tip-first as the blade dug into the ground, emitting a bright golden light. In response to this, a golden projection of the Triforce appeared over the statue's hands, signifying that it had been activated.

"I can report that the Statue of Servitude has been successfully activated," Fi said as she resumed her spirit form. "However, it will take time for it to fully awaken. I suggest that we remain here until it has properly done so."

"It seems we have no choice but to," Impa said as she ripped her blade into the chest of another ghost soldier, instantly dissipating him in the process. "It looks like we're completely surrounded."

"Allow me to be of some assistance then," the sword spirit said as she leapt into action, gracefully spinning her cloak out as its sharp ends tore into the circle of specters surrounding her. The Sheikah guardian nodded with satisfaction as she fought alongside her ally, hoping that it wouldn't take too terribly long for the statue to completely awaken.

* * *

"What's the matter, Link?" Midna asked tauntingly as she raced ahead of the hero on her Twilit wolf, laughing as she watched him try to keep pace with her. "Can't keep up?"

"Why do you even need a wolf to carry you around anyway?" Link asked in annoyance, trying his best to catch his breath after running as fast as he could in order to show her the way. "You can float!"

"Well, yeah I can float," the Twilight Princess said with a shrug. "But this little wolf reminds me of another little wolf that I used to pal around with, and in turn, you remind me of him. Don't think about it too much though. You might hurt that little head of yours."

The hero groaned in aggravation as he rolled his eyes at her antics while she simply laughed at his expense. "Were you this hard on him?" he asked, calling up ahead to her since she was still a ways in front of him.

"Oh no," Midna said with a casual grin as she thought of her own hero. "I was _much _harder on him. I'm only going easy on you because we just met. Just you wait; the best is yet to come!"

"Great…" Link said sarcastically, glancing back behind him to see that Agitha was not even concerned with keeping up with them as she tried to catch some nearby dragonflies. However, as the hero looked ahead towards the Twilight Princess, who in turn was still grinning back at him, he quickly noticed the newfound obstacle in her path and was quick to warn her about it. "Midna! Look out!"

"Wha-" Midna didn't even have time to finish before her wolf plowed headfirst into the ghost soldier that had suddenly appeared right before her. The Twilight Princess let out a cry of surprise as she landed roughly on the ground, her wolf dissipating into flecks of Twilight.

"Well, aren't you a rather large annoyance…" Midna muttered in disdain as she glared up at the ghost soldier, quickly rising to float once more. "Hey!" she shouted to Link, who had already began to race to her side. "Get over here and lend me a hand, will you?!"

"I'm on it!" the hero shouted as he finally reached the ghost soldier and thrust his blade forward, only narrowly missing the specter. The Twilight Princess was the next to launch an attack as she curled her hand into a fist, sending it hurling towards the enemy's head. While the ghost soldier was distracted with repelling Link, it failed to see Midna's strike and was abruptly barreled down by the sheer force of it, giving the hero the perfect opening to defeat the specter and clear their path.

"Well, that was pretty smooth, if I do say so myself," the Twilight Princess said with a snicker as she winked at the hero.

"I'd say it was," Link said with a nod and smile of agreement.

"Hey!" Agitha suddenly interrupted their rapport as she hurried towards the two with a frown of disappointment on her face. "Were you two playing with that spooky ghostie without me?!"

"Don't worry, Agitha," the hero said, giving the girl a good-natured smile while Midna merely rolled her eyes. "We'll let you take on the next one."

"Yay!" the insect princess cheered in jubilation, already racing forward in anticipation of their next encounter. Link and Midna exchanged a glance upon seeing her enthusiasm, the hero smiling in amusement over it as the Twilight Princess simply crossed her arms and shook her head. Nonetheless, the trio continued onward towards the Statue of Twilight, ready to take down any ghost soldier that got in their way.

* * *

The closest statue to the allied base by far was the Statue of Wave and Flame, however, the path to get there was anything but clear. Ruto, Darunia and Lana had to deal with quite a few obstacles in their path, specifically the regiment of ghost soldiers lining nearly every inch of the pathway. Of course, all three of them were strong in their own rights, especially against an army that was already dead, but they found that the more specters they defeated, the more would materialize in their place. What the ghostly hordes lacked in strength, they certainly made up for in numbers, something that the three allies were learning the hard way.

"Yeesh! We're really being blocked here, huh?!" Darunia called out as he swung his hammer into one of the ghost soldiers roughly.

"I know, right?" Ruto huffed in annoyance as she pelted a line of ghosts with a heavy wave. "It feels like we've barely moved an inch since we started!"

"Come on, guys!" Lana encouraged as she blocked a strike using one of her barriers. "We just gotta outlast them! I know it's just us three against all of them, but we have to push them back! In fact… That gives me an idea… Both of you, get behind me!"

Ruto and Darunia were quick to listen to the white sorceress as she held her tome out in front of her, closing her eyes as it began to glow with a blue aura. Lana let out a deep breath as she held her arms out wide while the book continued to levitate, and as she lifted her hands up into the air, three thick, wide magical barriers rose out of the ground. The white sorceress opened her eyes and smiled as she saw how they were protecting them, not even noticing the fact that the Goron patriarch and the Zora princess were looking at her with complete awe as she pushed her hands forward, commanding the barriers to move forward as well. Moving slowly, the trio inched their way forward as the barriers continued to protect them on all sides, keeping the attacking ghost soldiers at bay as they slowly but surely made their way to the statue without incident.

"Ok, we're here," Lana said with a satisfied, yet tired smile, finally dissipating the barriers as they arrived at the Statue of Wave and Flame. "Time for you guys to activate that statue."

"That was amazing!" Ruto exclaimed, still staring at the white sorceress in disbelief. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, that?" Lana asked with a bashful laugh. "It was nothing. Just some simple lightning barrier magic…"

"I've never seen anything like that before!" Darunia said, equally as amazed as the Zora princess. "Can everyone in this time period use magic like that?"

The white sorceress giggled cheerfully, shaking her head as she held her book against her chest. "Oh, no, just me," she said, appreciating their awe, even if her magic wasn't that amazing in her own eyes. "But hey, you guys have some pretty incredible abilities too! After all, you're the only ones who are able to activate this statue!"

"Oh right!" the Goron patriarch exclaimed, having briefly forgotten about the task at hand. "Well, we might as well get to it! What should we do?"

"Hm…" Lana mused, examining the statue from afar. "I'm not really sure… Darunia, why don't you try hitting the fire medallion with your hammer, and Ruto, try dousing the water medallion at the same time. That might do something…"

"Well, I suppose it's worth a try…" the Zora princess mused as her and the Goron patriarch approached the statue, each in different ways. While Ruto moved gracefully and elegantly, holding her Zora scale up as an orb of water surrounded her hand, Darunia heaved his hammer above his head as flames converged around it with gusto and impressive strength. And, with a synchronized nod, both of them let their attacks go at the same time, striking the two medallions in perfect harmony.

As the trio had hoped, the mark of the Triforce appeared above the statue's hands immediately after the water and fire was unleashed upon it, showing that it was now active. "Great!" the white sorceress said with a congratulatory smile. "Now… I don't think its fully awakened yet, but it's on its way. I say we stay here and wait for it, just in case it needs a little more fire and water. What do you guys think?"

"Very well," Ruto said with a nod. "I suppose we can stand to wait around a bit longer."

"Yeah!" Darunia said, giving a daring grin to the ghost soldiers that had begun flooding into the keep. "And beside, that will give us a chance to knock some heads in until it's done!"

"Which of course," the Zora princess said, sharing a laugh with the white sorceress as they watched the Goron patriarch get to work. "Is always a grand time…"

* * *

"And, there!" Midna proclaimed as she watched the mark of the Triforce shine in front of the Statue of Twilight after she pelted a ball of Twilit magic upon it. "Looks like it worked, but it will probably take a while for it to fully wake up. Why don't we stay here until it's ready?"

"How long is that going to take?" Link asked, still a bit anxious about the ghost soldiers refusing him entrance to the temple earlier. Though he had no reason to doubt what Impa had told him earlier about their false judgement, he couldn't be certain until he made into the temple himself.

"I don't know," the Twilight Princess said with a shrug. "But my, aren't we hasty. Calm down. Take a moment to relax before we have to go back out there and fight more of those pesky ghosts. Not being able to sit still must be a running theme in you heroes."

"It's not that," the hero said with a frown. "I just… I need to get in that temple."

"Yeah, yeah, to get the sword, I know," Midna said, already well aware of the situation.

"Not just for that," Link said with a sigh. "If I can't even get into the temple, then how am I supposed to prove that I'm really the hero?"

"Oh…" the Twilight Princess said in realization, her sarcastic manner slightly diminished upon hearing this. "You don't wanna disappoint your girlfriend, do you?"

"Zelda's not my girlfriend!" the hero exclaimed in embarrassment.

"Wow, I didn't even have to mention Zelda and I got you to blush!" Midna said with a rowdy laugh at his expense. "But listen, Link… Just for the record, I really do think you're the hero, even if you haven't exactly proved yourself yet. And do you know why?" The hero shook his head in response to this question, prompting the Twilight Princess to continue. "Because _my _Link had the exact same doubts that you're having. When he first found out he was the hero, he went on and on about how he didn't think he was special enough, or that he wasn't sure he could do live up to his predecessors. Now, I have to admit that, at first, I wasn't exactly the… nicest to him, so I just told him to suck it up and do what he had to do. And you know what? Over time, he grew into his role perfectly, almost as if he was born for it, which he probably was. That's why I can tell you're meant to be a hero too. You both have that same spark in your eyes, a spark that says that you're not going to give up, no matter who or what you're up against. It says that you're strong enough to take down an army, but that you care enough to risk your life to do so. And drawing some stupid sword isn't going to prove that as much as you fighting for what you believe in will."

Link was silent for a long moment upon hearing all of this, realizing that Midna's explanation of what she believed a hero to be was more natural and beautiful than how Impa had explained it to him earlier. Perhaps a part of being a hero lied in sacrifice and selflessness, but another large part of it also had a lot to do with determination and willpower. And yet, perhaps there were so many parts to being a hero that Link had scarcely begun to understand everything that it entailed yet and maybe he never would. But for whatever the role of the hero would require of him, then he knew he would do his best to rise to the occasion, regardless of whether or not it was his destiny.

"Thanks, Midna," the hero said with a sincere smile. "I didn't know you could be so… encouraging."

"Yeah, well don't expect it too often," the Twilight Princess said aloofly, not particularly liking such sentiments too much. "I just figured you needed a little confidence boost. And it looks like I was right; not surprising, considering I _always _am…"

The pair shared a short laugh, one that even Agitha shared in on, even though she hadn't been listening too much of their conversation amidst admiring a nearby anthill. However, as they enjoyed it, a soft green glow began to surround the Statue of Twilight, catching their attention immediately.

"Oh, hey! Look at that," Midna said with a pleased nod. "Looks like she finally woke up."

Link took a step forward as he noticed that the statue's eyes had opened to reveal that they were an absolutely beautiful shade of green, and the moment he saw them, he knew there was no denying it any longer. Even though Proxi had told him that the statue bore the visage of the Goddess of Courage herself, he knew he had seen her somewhere before, or that he at least bore some sort of connection to her based on the innate closeness he felt to her upon merely looking at her.

"Hooray!" Agitha exclaimed in excitement, neither her nor Midna noticing that the hero was still staring at the statue. "Let's go back and tell Miss Zelda!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," the Twilight Princess said with a slight grin, though it faded as she looked over her shoulder at the hero. "Hey, you coming, scarf boy?"

Link took in a sudden breath as he blinked and ripped his gaze away from the statue, knowing that there was no time to dwell on this strange connection now. "Uh, yeah…" he said, heading off after the two princess to go back to the base. However, before he left the keep entirely, he couldn't help but glance back at the Statue of Twilight one last time, wondering just how a mere mortal such as himself could feel such a bond with the illustrious Goddess of Courage, one of the very creators of the world and mother of all courage herself, who was still smiling down upon him as if she were truly there.

* * *

**Ok, so it took a while for the action to get kicked off in this chapter, but I can promise that there's more to come in the next one, in which we carry on this stage and up the DRAMA! :D But for now, I have quite a few things I'd like to discuss/promote, so listen up!**

**First of all, I recieved all of your varied responses about adding Tetra and Daphnes into this story, and while many of you were for it, I've thought a lot about it and I realized that I just couldn't think of a way to put them in here without ruining my plans completely. Now believe me when I say that I LOVE both of them, but as far as them being put in here... I just couldn't think of any way for it to happen smoothly... I'm sorry...**

**BUT I do have some news that will cheer you up if you're disappointed by this news. Once Hyrule Warriors is over, I do plan on releasing a series of side stories/oneshots related to my rendition of it, featuring several what-if stories, character studies, and additions of characters that didn't make it in here (Such as a certain pirate captain and king). Now, I won't say much about it now as its still a work in progress in my mind, but I do have several ideas, so here's hoping I can make them come to life (I'll also be accepting requests for this one, so anything you want (within reason) I'll try to make happen!)**

**Finally, in one final bout of self promotion... For any of your Steven Universe fans out there, I'd like to announce my new SU story entitled "We Are the Crystal Gems", which will basically tell the story of Rose Quartz and the Crystal Gems. At the moment, only the prologue is posted, but I plan on working on it in intervals with this and Light and Shadow. So, if you'd like to check it out, hop on over to my profile and find it there! You won't be sorry!**

**Ok, ok. Promotion time over. Now its time for the chapter question, which, this time around is this: If you had to fight in a battle yourself, what one HW character would you like to be your lone ally? For me, I'd say... Impa. She's a master tactition, incredibly strong, and her sword alone can cut nearly anything down. So, feel free to let me know your answer in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	21. Evil's Bane

_Ok, so let me just say I love this chapter and that it was honestly a LOT of fun to write! I mean, I deviated a little from how the game did this part, but I can assure you they're all improvements! ANd so, before we begin, let's go to the guest reviews!_

_**Conner**: Yeah Lana/Link is great, even if it is one sided in the game :/ And I always ship tease for pretty much everything, especially Zelink :D _

_**miniminjas**: Glad you like it and there will certainly be more Zelink! Zelda would be a really goo ally, mostly because she is both a great fighter and is really levelheaded on the battlefield as well! As for the goddesses, they might make a cameo here, though I'm almost certain I'll include them in the side stories somehow!_

_And that's really it for now. So, let's get started! :D_

* * *

_Chapter 20: Evil's Bane_

"And with each sealed statue awakened, the temple doors should finally open!" Zelda exclaimed with a bright smile after everyone had returned to the allied base upon awakening their respective statues. Thankfully, the princess had little trouble repelling the ghost soldiers away from the base with the help of the elite soldiers who had remained to guard her, but like everyone else, she had no idea how to repel them once and for all. Surprisingly, awakening the sealed statues had not gotten rid of them, but as everyone quickly discovered as they made their way back to the base, the spectral hordes had seemed to become even more aggressive than they had been before.

"So… we can finally go in… right?" Darunia asked expectantly.

"I have some rather… unfortunate news to report in regards to that query," Fi spoke up. "According to my most recent scan of the area, I am able to report that the temple doors have not yet opened, though the reasoning behind why is unclear to me. By all accounts, awakening the sealed statues should have granted us entry to the temple, which leads me to believe that there is an external force at work."

"I think so too," Zelda said with a worried frown. "I'm almost willing to bet that this has to do with the reason why the ghost soldiers are acting so strangely and aggressively. Someone must be manipulating them!"

"So… you think someone's pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Link asked, somewhat relieved that the spectral forces' behavior might have nothing to do with whether or not he was the hero.

"There must be a hidden puppet master somewhere!" Ruto proclaimed. "But who could it be?"

"I'd chalk it up to being that witch or any of her cronies," Midna said with disdain for Cia. "The only question is how she found out that we were here…"

"That doesn't matter now," Impa said firmly. "Whoever this interloper is, we have to find them. Our entrance to the temple depends on it. Everyone, fan out across the ruins, and if you find anything suspicious, take it down immediately!"

"Yes," the princess said with a nod of agreement as she sheathed her rapier at her side. "And certainly, by doing so, we will finally be able to get inside the temple at long last."

Without needing any further instruction, everyone set off from the allied base, save for Zelda, who was still responsible for holding it down, though she sent most of the other troops off to search for their unknown foe as well. Of course, since the ghost soldiers were still laying wait around nearly every corner of the area, the allies had to deal with trying to reduce their constantly replenishing numbers, and as opposed to their last objective, most of them had taken separate paths entirely, opting that they would cover more ground by splitting up throughout the ruins instead of traveling in groups.

However, all was not well as the allied forces continued their hunt, largely finding not even a clue about who or where the enemy commander could be. Only a few in their number managed to pick up on it, but those who were particularly sensitive to malevolent energy were able to sense the sudden shift in the air, penetrating through the natural sanctity of the temple and the ruins. Through her scans, Fi was the first to detect this bout of darkness, though she was unable to specifically pinpoint its source, but since none of her allies were close to her position, she had no one to report it to. Zelda was the next one to sense it as she watched the entryways of the allied keep carefully, gasping in shock as she drew her blade once more.

"I feel an evil presence nearby…" she whispered to herself, suddenly regretting that she had sent the other troops away. She could only hope that whoever and whatever this wicked force was, it would refrain from attacking the allied base now, since she was its sole line of defense and her troops were already spread quite thin as it was.

Though Link himself didn't have the sensitivity that would alert him to such a presence, Proxi certainly did as her wings tensed up while watching the hero duel against one of the ghost soldiers. The fairy was able to tell that it was relatively close to their current position near the crumbled fountain at the center of the ruins, but even as she flew a bit higher, she was unable to detect anything out of the ordinary.

"Something wrong, Proxi?" the hero called up to the fairy, having finished fighting off the ghost soldier as he took a small breather.

"Well… I thought I felt a dark being somewhere close…" Proxi said as she landed down upon her companion's shoulder. "But… I could have been wrong."

"It might not be a bad idea to check it out, though," Link said, glancing around cautiously. "After all, it might be exactly what we're looking for."

"Yeah…" the fairy said, the sudden surge of darkness making her anxious as she also looked around, only to find the immediate area empty of enemies and ghost soldiers alike. "I just don't know where it could though…"

"Well, why don't we start by checking out one of these abandoned buildings?" the hero suggested, referring to the ramshackle stone houses lining the pathway, or at least the few that were still relatively standing. "After all, whoever they are, they might be hiding just out of our reach inside of one of them while they command the ghost forces."

"O-ok…" Proxi said, her tone still uneasy, something still clearly bothering her.

"Are you ok?" Link asked, glancing over at his fairy companion with concern. "You seem a little tense."

"Yeah…" the fairy said letting out a deep breath as she floated alongside the hero as they stepped into the nearest empty house. "It's just… this place is supposed to be so sacred, untouched by darkness or evil… It's as though the entire area is being defiled by it! It's really creepy!"

"Well, it won't be for much longer if we have anything to do with it," Link said reassuringly as they ventured into the ruined house, both of them growing silent as they took the ramshackle atmosphere in. Parts of its roof had caved in, and vines and cobwebs had invaded the one room home as its wooden furniture was rotting into the ground, showing that it had been abandoned by its owners long ago. Both the hero and the fairy didn't speak out of reverence for whoever had once lived here centuries ago, but as they looked around the relatively empty, deathly silent room, they both failed to see the shadows of the figure behind them. That is, until they slowly reached out and touched Link on his unarmored shoulder, barely even skimming him with their light touch, but it certainly was enough to alert him to the fact that he was not alone.

Startled by what he was sure was an attacking monster, the hero swiftly drew his blade and spun around, Proxi leaping off his shoulder and flying into the corner near the ceiling as she let out a high-pitched scream of fright. Link gripped his sword tightly in the heat of the moment, his heart pounding with returned adrenaline as he prepared to bring his blade down on whatever might dare to launch a sneak attack on them. That is, until he saw that the person who had joined him was in no way an enemy at all.

"Lana?!" the hero exclaimed a bit breathlessly, lowing his sword as he looked down to the white sorceress who stood before him, an innocent smile on her pretty face. "What are you doing here?"

"You nearly scared us to death!" Proxi exclaimed hotly as she slowly floated back down from her high hiding spot.

"You mean she scared _you_, Proxi," Link said with a teasing, confident grin.

"Oh sure," the fairy said sardonically. "Just me. After all, it wasn't like you drew your sword in a panic or anything."

"I just like being prepared, ok?" the hero retorted huffily, finally sheathing his blade as he looked to Lana once more, who was giggling in amusement at the duo's argument.

"Sorry if I frightened you guys," the white sorceress said perkily. "I just happened to spot you going in here and I was curious to see what you were up to."

"Proxi sensed an evil presence somewhere in the ruins," Link explained, knowing that certainly Lana would want to help them locate it. "We were trying to see if we could find it in here."

"Evil presence?" Lana said, raising an eyebrow as she shook her head and laughed dismissively. "Oh, come on. Don't be silly. I don't sense any sort of 'evil presence', and as you both know, I'm usually the first to notice that sort of thing. Maybe your nerves are just getting to you," she said a bit condescendingly to Proxi, who had taken to sitting on Link's shoulder once more.

"B-but… I thought… I could have sworn…" the fairy trailed off, glancing away in embarrassment. Perhaps she had been wrong, but she still couldn't shake the thought that there was a hidden evil nearby, strangely closer now more than ever before.

"Now, why don't we get out of this dusty old place, huh?" Lana asked, her smile still as bright as ever. "There's something I wanna show you, Link."

"What is it?" the hero asked as the white sorceress led the way out of the abandoned house.

"I've discovered a secret way into the temple," Lana said, glancing back at him with her constant wide grin. "It takes a little work to get there, but I can take you right to it. Now come on!"

Link was a bit surprised when Lana suddenly gripped his arm and began to pull him forward towards the temple, something that she usually wouldn't have done unless she absolutely had to. "Hold on a minute, Lana," the hero said with a frown as he stopped in his tracks, forcing the white sorceress to do the same. "Before we go, I want to go back and check on Zelda first, just to make sure she's handling things all right by herself."

"Aw…" Lana said, her shoulders sagging in visible disappointment. "But Link… You'll have plenty of time to check in with her later… After all, the sword is supposed to be your first priority… right?"

"It's not like the sword is going anywhere without me," Link said as he pulled his arm out of her grip and gave her a wary glance. "Are… are you ok, Lana? You're not really acting like yourself…" he said, remembering the demeaning tone she had taken with Proxi earlier, now combined with her lack of concern for the princess, traits that were so unlike the white sorceress's kind, caring way.

The white sorceress scoffed playfully as she rolled her violet eyes at him, shaking her head to set his mind at ease. "Oh, don't be silly, Link!" she said with a small laugh. "I'm perfectly fine! In fact…" she paused for a moment, hiding the fact that she was tightly clenching her fists at her sides well. "If you want to go see the princess… then why don't you go on ahead. I'll meet you there."

"Um… ok…" the hero said a bit uneasily, turning to leave. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Lana said with a nod, her smile still never fading as she held her hands behind her back rather mysteriously. "I just have to go take care of a few things first…"

* * *

Darunia laughed triumphantly as he brought his hammer down, obliterating yet another ghost soldier into nothingness. He was accompanied by a small force of his Goron brothers that had come along to this battle, all of them being able to hold their own against the spectral forces they were battling against. The Goron patriarch couldn't help but grin broadly with pride for his kind, knowing that what they didn't have in numbers in this fight, they made up for in their sturdy strength.

"Keep it up, brothers!" Darunia encouraged heartily. "If we take out all these guys, then everyone gets an extra serving of rocks tonight, on me!"

The Goron warriors all cheered with hungry excitement upon hearing this, propelling them to fight with even more verve as they continued to launch rocks at their ghostly opponents. However, in the midst of their emboldened battling, the entirety of the Goron forces failed to notice the electrical currently gliding seamlessly along the ground, bolting straight towards them, until it was too late. Darunia, who was fighting a bit ahead of his brothers, turned around in shock and surprise when he heard their pained cries, all of them seized by the electrical current that was painfully zipping through their solid forms. The Goron patriarch panicked as he realized this same current was coming for him, and so he was quick to curl himself into a ball, allowing his stony back to protect him from the brunt of the shock, though he still felt some of its sting.

When the strike was finally over, Darunia, unlike the other Gorons was actually able to stand up and recover immediately from it. The Goron leader's jaw dropped in horror upon seeing all of his brothers lying scattered upon the ground, stunned and in pain from the sneak attack they had just endured as the ghost soldiers continued to swarm them. Darunia was quick to drive them all off though, determined to protect his brothers above all else as he savagely rammed his hammer into every last one of them. However, as he continued to take the spectral knights down, he couldn't help but spot a quick, familiar blur of blue speed high over his head, leaping from roof to roof of the ruins as they let out a girlish laugh.

The Goron leader frowned in disturbed confusion as he recognized this laugh, his grip tightening around his hammer the slightest bit as he tried to shake such a ridiculous thought from his mind, even though things added up when he considered that his brothers had just been taken down by an _electrical _strike. "Sister Lana…?" Darunia muttered under his breath in bewilderment, wondering if the usually kindhearted sorceress could be responsible for such a ruthless attack.

* * *

Midna grinned slyly as she commanded her wolf to relentlessly batter a group of ghost soldiers into submission before she ended them once and for all with a brutal punch courtesy of her hair. The Twilight Princess found a certain thrill in battle, a thrill that she had not felt since she had joined her own hero on his quest months ago. And while it didn't quite feel the same without him, she still found pleasure in taking down her enemies, knowing that while they were larger than her in stature, they were nothing compared to her wit and tenacity.

With her Twilit wolf charging bravely, Midna entered into a new keep, keeping an eye out for whoever the one causing all this chaos with the ghost soldiers might be. However, the only person she found within the keep before her was the white sorceress alone.

"Hey, Lana!" the Twilight Princess called out with a smile of greeting as she approached her ally. "How's it going?"

Lana didn't give a reply as she stood with her back turned to Midna, something that initially confused the Twilight Princess when she considered the white sorceress's usually outgoing nature. But nonetheless, she dispelled her wolf as she floated to Lana's level, frowning as she addressed her once more.

"Um… Lana?" Midna tried again, reaching out to touch the white sorceress's shoulder. However, before she could, Lana suddenly turned around, startling the Twilight Princess quite a bit.

"Oh, sorry, Midna," the white sorceress said with an overly-large grin. "I didn't see you there."

"Uh… ok…" the Twilight Princess said, though she wasn't sure how Lana couldn't have heard her. "So… what are you doing out here all by yourself? I don't see any ghost soldiers nearby."

"Well… I got rid of them all in here…" Lana said, averting Midna's questioning gaze.

"Without any of them reappearing?" Midna asked caustically, knowing that the spectral forces multiplied like weeds.

"What can I say?" the white sorceress said with a slightly nervous laugh. "I guess I'm just that good. So… you're leaving now, right?"

"What's the rush?" the Twilight Princess asked suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"Oh, uh… there's no rush," Lana said with a shrug. "I just… figured you'd want to be on your way. After all, there's still a lot more of those pesky ghosts out there! We gotta go take care of them, right?"

Midna frowned even more warily upon hearing this. "But don't you wanna work together so we can get things done faster?"

"I don't see any need why we need to do that," the white sorceress said aloofly, already urging the Twilight Princess out of the keep as she gently pushed her away. "Now, why don't you get going, and-"

"Hold it," Midna said rigidly, pulling herself away from Lana as she gave her a cold glare. "What's going on with you?"

"W-what do you mean?" Lana asked innocently enough.

The Twilight Princess was silent for a long moment as she stared at the white sorceress, refusing to budge an inch as she noticed Lana begin to crack under the pressure. Before too long, her cutesy, lighthearted demeanor shifted into an annoyed, darkened one, something that looked so strange in the white sorceress's expression. However, she said nothing until Midna finally broke the longstanding silence at last.

"You're not really Lana, are you?" she asked knowingly, her hair already coiling into a fist behind her.

The supposed white sorceress smirked darkly, not caring that she had been found out, for she knew she would never let the Twilight Princess escape with this secret before her plans had come to fruition. "Maybe I'm not…" she said coyly, orbs of darkness surrounding her hands as she prepared to engage Midna in battle. "But it's not like I'm going to let you live to tell anyone else…"

* * *

Ruto had taken to an advantageous position within the southern ruins, where she could easily tap into the waters of the nearby lake to further fuel her Zora scale. Unlike the Goron patriarch, the Zora princess hadn't brought any of her own forces to fight in this battle, as she had not really seen the need to beforehand. Even now that they were meeting opposition from the ghost soldiers, Ruto still didn't think that she needed any assistance. After all, she was certainly more than capable of taking out a few spectral aggravations all on her own.

Moving with grace and elegance, the Zora princess raised her scale up as she called forth another wave, which rose from the water in the ground and plowed its way towards her foes, pushing them back and damaging them all the while. Ruto smiled in satisfaction as she continued her watery barrage of attacks, sending a stream of darts of water towards the ghost soldiers at her sides as she banished them back to their graves before summoning a whirlpool to suck the ones in front of her down.

"Consider it an honor to be defeated by a Zora princess!" Ruto said with a haughty laugh as she watched the ghost soldiers disappear, forming orbs of water over both of her hands as she prepared to take on the rest. However, before she could launch them at the spectral hordes, they all suddenly collapsed before her, defeated from an unseen electrical attack that left the Zora princess quite confused. Ruto only saw the one who had aided her for a moment as she zipped past the entrance to the keep she was in, but she smiled thankfully nonetheless, glad for the white sorceress's help.

"Thank you, Lana, darling!" the Zora princess called out to the white sorceress as she began to make her way out of the keep and onto another one. However, what Ruto didn't know was that taking down the enemies in the keep was not all Lana had done. For as the Zora princess casually walked through the exit of the keep, her body was suddenly seized with electricity thanks to the hidden spell that the white sorceress had cast. Ruto let out a loud scream of agony as the current rippled through her, the fact that her smooth skin was consistently wet only causing her even more agony. After what seemed like ages, the powerful shock mercifully ended as the Zora princess collapsed the ground, still convulsing as her mind was completely numb for several minutes. When she was able to think coherently again, the first thing Ruto felt was betrayal, immediately knowing who was behind such a vicious attack, for who else could be. And though she was unable to pick herself up off of the ground thanks to the lingering paralysis, she was still able to let out an angry shout, knowing that when she was able to move again, her first act would be revenge. "Lana!"

* * *

Fi could sense that the evil energy pervading the ruins was on the move, and so, even though she had not been issued a direct command to do so, she decided to hunt for it, hoping to take care of this threat as soon as possible to expedite her master's mission. The only problem was that she still could not dowse for its exact location, nor did she know what form it might be taking, but she could certainly sense its wicked intent, one that had to be stopped immediately. The sword spirit glided gracefully through the ghostly forces, ignoring most of them and only engaging them when she had to, as her mind was focused solely on her task alone.

Eventually, Fi made it to a keep on the western side of the battlefield that was infested with ghost soldiers. Though she had not seen any of her allies since they had separated from the allied base, the sword spirit disregarded the thought as she leapt into action, gracefully twirling and spinning her enemies into oblivion without even flinching. However, as she cut down the last one, the sword spirit was immediately alerted to the fact that the malevolent influence was in the immediate vicinity.

Spinning around quickly, Fi turned to see that solid magical barriers had formed over all of the exits of the keep, locking her inside. The sword spirit could see through the largely clear barriers, but she was able to detect that they were composed of darkness, despite the fact that they bore the same symbols as the barriers that Lana created.

And, sure enough, the white sorceress herself stood on the outside of the keep, grinning maliciously at Fi through the barrier. The sword spirit remained floating in place as she stared at her expressionlessly, her scans immediately confirming quite a few clarifications. "I am aware that you are not the real Lana," Fi said calmly.

"Oh, good for you!" the white sorceress patronized mockingly. "So let me guess, you know who I actually am then, don't you?"

"Yes," the sword spirit said with a nod.

"Well, that's too bad," Lana said with fake disappointment. "For both me and you. But mostly, it's bad for you since I'm not going to just let you go and tell all your little allies. Hate to break it to you, whatever you are, but this barrier blocks all forms of telepathic communication, so no trying to reach through to your precious master, or whatever it is you call him."

"I did not need for you to relay such information to me," Fi said. "I have already detected the impenetrability of these barriers on my own and I am also aware that none of my allies will be able to see me within this keep thanks to your magic. However, even though you have momentarily trapped me, I can guarantee that there is a 99% chance that you will not be able to fool them forever."

"Oh, I know," the white sorceress said with a cunning grin. "But I only need to fool them long enough to get rid of that annoying little hero once and for all. And the best part is, he'll never even see it coming! It's perfect!"

Lana let out an icy, wicked laugh as she vanished in a burst of darkness, leaving Fi alone in a prison that was immune to her abilities. But nonetheless, the sword spirit remained patient, knowing that this imprisonment, as well as the deception of the one who had trapped her, would not last forever. "That is what you believe…" Fi said after her adversary had vanished, confident that her master would be wise to its wicked plans.

* * *

Agitha hummed cheerfully to herself as she skipped about the ruins, more concerned about finding new species of bugs instead of taking care of the ghost soldiers. The insect princess had completely forgotten about their objective as she wandered about the battlefield on her own, having a wonderful time playing and exploring the area without a care in the world. That is, until she quite literally ran into the white sorceress along the way.

Lana stumbled forward, clearly surprised as the young girl obliviously crashed into her from behind. "Hey! Watch where you're going, you little-" she began to hatefully scold, before she remembered the front she was putting up, though she was confident that the insect princess wasn't smart enough to figure the truth out. "I mean… Hello there…" she trailed off in faux benevolence, unable to remember the child's name.

"Oh, hi, Miss Lana!" Agitha greeted with a bright grin. "Would you like to play with me?"

"Um… no," Lana said, not hiding the fact that she believed this girl to be beneath her notice. "Now, why don't you run along and… frolic, or whatever it is that you do."

"But… Miss Lana, I wanted to show you this really amazing flock of butterflies sitting on some vines that I passed by earlier. They were very beautiful and I'm sure you'd just love to see-"

"I don't care about stupid butterflies!" the white sorceress exclaimed hotly, glaring darkly at the insect princess who stared at her in surprise at her sudden harshness.

"W-what?" Agitha asked timidly, taking a step back from the older girl that was usually so kind to her.

"I said, I don't care about you or your dumb bugs!" Lana growled bitterly. "Now get out of my way!"

"B-but… but I…" the insect princess stammered, trying her hardest not to cry, even though her feelings had been badly hurt.

The white sorceress let out a groan of fierce annoyance at the child, knowing that she had places to be and no time to deal with this little pest. "Give me that basket," she demanded, suddenly snatching Agitha's basket right out of her hands in order to teach her a lesson for wasting her valuable time

"H-hey!" the insect princess exclaimed, desperately reaching for her prized wicker basket, one that she had labored so hard over to make and decorate. "Give that back! All of my friends I collected are in there!"

Lana laughed twistedly upon hearing this, holding the basket high above the girl's head to goad her. "Perfect…" she hissed, before dumping the contents of the basket on the ground all at once. Agitha let out a frightened cry as the several bottles she had within it shattered upon colliding with the stony ground, instantly letting all of the golden bugs she had toiled over collecting crawl and fly free. Tears were already streaming down the insect princess's face as she collapsed to her knees, desperately trying to beckon her various friends to come back to her, but before she could even regather any of them, Lana was quick to rub salt in the already painful wound. Agitha screamed in horror as the white sorceress brought down her boot upon the pile on insects in front of her, brutally crushing them all to death as she twisted her foot into the ground for extra measure. The insect princess could hardly believe that the white sorceress, whom she had once looked up to and trusted, could be capable of such heartlessness and cruelty towards such beautiful creatures.

Lana snickered in dark satisfaction as she turned to leave Agitha to wallow in her grief. The insect princess sobbed uncontrollably as she stared at the smashed remains of her bug friends, unable to look away. "M-Miss Lana…" the girl whispered in heartbreak. "W-why… would you… How c-could you do that? T-that was s-so… mean!"

The white sorceress merely laughed once more as she glared at the miserable child behind her, not at all regretting what she had done. "That was pretty mean," she said with wicked sarcasm as she walked away, proud of her horrific accomplishments in making a young girl cry. "But it was awfully fun…"

* * *

After fighting through countless legions of ghost soldiers that barred his way to the allied keep, Link eventually made it, though strangely he hadn't encountered any of his allies, including Lana, along the way. However, as he approached the allied keep, he was able to see that ghost soldiers had already begun to flood into it, causing him to worry for Zelda's safety since she was all alone in there. And yet, as he arrived, all of his worries were immediately set to ease and replaced with awe instead.

The princess fiercely tore her rapier into one of the ghost soldiers, causing them to dissipate instantly. Not missing a single beat, Zelda spun around, her thin blade glowing with golden light as she parried several times in quick succession, dodging each attack sent her way deftly and skillfully. Upon taking out several more ghosts, the princess backed up a bit with a new strategy in mind. Suddenly, her rapier vanished from her hands, instantly replaced with a beautiful, shining bow. Zelda didn't take any time to admire her weapon though as she held her hand over its string, forming a magical light arrow, which she drew back and shot through the crowd of ghost soldiers in front of her, defeating several of them. Still wrapped up in the heat of battle, the princess aimed her bow for the skies as she fired off three light arrows in quick succession, seeming to miss her target entirely until all three golden projectiles crashed into the ground in a blinding explosion that took out a large portion of the specters. To finish off her barrage of attacks, Zelda made her bow disappear as a large orb of pure light appeared above her palms. Using her magic, the princess lifted herself into the air as she held the orb above her hand and once she had risen a few feet into the air, she quickly threw it down on the remaining ghost soldiers, defeating them all instantly.

Link hadn't realized that he had been watching her in amazement until she smiled at him warmly, breaking him out of his shock. He had known that Zelda was a skilled fighter, but her abilities in both swordplay and magic made her a deadly opponent. She fought with grace, speed, accuracy and ferocity, all things that the hero couldn't help but find somewhat attractive, especially since it seemed as though the princess barely broke a sweat or disheveled her immaculate beauty during the heat of battle.

"How are things going, Link?" Zelda asked as she approached him with a smile now that the keep was empty of ghost soldiers. "Have you found who our mystery assailant is?"

"Not yet," the hero said, still trying to break out of his amazement. "But… I do want to tell you that… you… you…" he paused, wanting to tell her that she fought like no one he had ever seen before, that he only wished that he was as skilled as she was, that she had looked absolutely lovely doing so. And yet, instead of telling her any of these things, he blundered instead. "You fight good," he said lamely, immediately averting her gaze out of embarrassment as he had put it way to plainly.

"Oh…" the princess said in slight confusion, having expected him to say more than that. "Um... thank you?"

Before Link could try and correct himself by saying more, Impa burst into the keep, her hand on the hilt of her blade as she breathlessly ran towards Zelda. "Princess!" the Sheikah guardian exclaimed, her expression clearly concerned, yet angry. "I have troubling news. Both Midna and Fi are nowhere to be found, and I've received reports from Darunia, Ruto, and Agitha that they have been attacked. By Lana, of all people."

"What?!" both Link and Zelda exclaimed in unison, exchanging a glance of disbelief upon hearing this.

"But… that doesn't make any sense," the hero said with a confused frown. "I just saw Lana a few minutes ago before coming here. And besides, why would she ever want to hurt any of us at all?"

The princess sucked in an anxious breath as she suddenly gripped Link's arm tightly, her eyes growing wide as they filled with panic. The hero quickly glanced over at her with concern, only barely able to hear the statement she whispered in fear. "Because she's Cia's other half…"

"What?" Link asked, not able to hear what she had said clearly.

"Impa, do you mind if I have a word with Link? Alone?" Zelda asked tensely, her blue eyes wide and nervous.

"Um… of course," the Sheikah guardian said, though she did wonder why the princess wanted to privately converse with the hero instead of letting her in on her thoughts. "I suppose I will search for Midna and Fi then."

"Thank you," the princess said, trying her best to hide her breathlessness until Impa had left. And once she had, she let all of her pent up anxiety go before the hero.

"Link, I know why Lana is doing this," Zelda choked, her hands trembling as she continued to grip Link by his arm relentlessly. "We should have seen it coming all along. We were so blind. I should have-"

"Zelda, slow down," Link said, quieting the princess as she talked very quickly, clearly thrown into a frenzy. "What are you talking about?"

"She said it herself, Link," the princess said, her heart racing as she shook her head. "Her and Cia are two parts of the same whole. They both have the same thoughts, the same memories, and despite what she said about her being her 'good' side, I'm certain they have the same intentions."

"Zelda, you can't be serious!" the hero exclaimed, unable to believe what she was implying. "Lana is nothing like Cia! So what if they were once the same person? They split up because Lana didn't want to be evil like Cia. She wants to help us; she always has."

"Or so she made us think…" Zelda said, her fear turning to anger as she released her grip on the hero, her gaze turning into a bitter glare. "For all we know, she could have just been putting up a front this whole time. Maybe she's been spying on us, letting Cia in on all of our secrets, on all of _your _secrets. Maybe this is just her way of saying that she's done pretending and is ready to take us down from the inside out."

Though Link was tempted to boldly refute the princess's claims, he could tell where they were coming from. After all, Cia had clearly traumatized Zelda in their first meeting. Certainly this fear and paranoia was a defense mechanism on her part, to ensure that she would never be damaged in such a way ever again.

"Zelda…" he began softly and slowly, gently placing his hand against the side of her face. He knew it was a bold gesture, far too bold considering the current status of their friendship, but she didn't seem to mind as his touch somehow calmed her down. "I know how you feel about Cia… But you can't let your hatred for her cloud your judgement. Think about this for a minute, _without_ letting your feelings get involved. Would Lana really turn against any of us like that?"

The princess stilled for a moment, considering the question the hero had just posed in a logical, thoughtful manner. As much as she despised Cia for what she had done and what she wanted to do, in her heart, she knew full well that none of that was Lana's fault. If anything, Lana had done nothing but put all of her efforts into trying to stop her malevolent other half, something that Zelda couldn't help but be immensely thankful for. In many ways, the white sorceress was their insider, the one who knew Cia more than anyone else. And even more than that, her knowledge of the black witch's magic and abilities was infallible. Even if Lana had been unable to stop Cia's rampage in the first place, she was an invaluable ally in helping put a stop to it. And that was something that the princess couldn't just cast aside for a theory that she had come up with out of fear and distrust.

"No…" Zelda said with a sigh of relent. "I suppose not… But if that's not the case, then what's really going on here…?"

"I don't know," Link said, finally lifting his hand away from her, as much as he didn't want to. "But I'll go find out. You stay here."

"But… what if I want to come with you?" the princess asked with a coy, almost flirtatious smile.

"I think it's a better idea that you don't, as much as I'd love your company," the hero said playfully smiling at her. "After all, I don't want you taking your anger at Cia out at Lana."

Zelda's smile grew a bit colder, though resolve filled it as well upon hearing this. "The next time we face her, I'm going to make her pay for what she did," the princess said, her tone stone cold and almost frightening. "I refuse to let her make me feel weak and helpless every again."

Link was silent upon hearing the princess's vendetta, but he knew better than to try and convince her against it now. "Well, for now, stay here and keep the base safe, ok?"

"Ok," the princess agreed, seeing him off with a small smile, even though tantalizing thoughts of her ultimate revenge against the black witch were still stirring inside her mind.

* * *

Though Link thought that he would have to seek Lana out, he ultimately found that was not the case. Instead, the white sorceress came to him.

Lana had a bright smile on her face as she daintily skipped towards the hero, waving at him from afar as she approached him. "Hi, Link!" she greeted warmly, not noticing his wary expression. "Ready to go check out that secret entrance?"

"Um, yeah…" Link said carefully, hoping to get some answers as they did so. "But can I ask you something first?"

"Oh, of course," the white sorceress said with an eager nod. "Ask me anything!"

"Impa told me and Zelda something about some of our allies getting attacked earlier…" the hero began coyly, prepared to listen carefully to the white sorceress so he could catch her in a lie if need be. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"No!" Lana gasped in surprise and horror. "Oh, goodness! Our poor allies! Were any of them hurt? Who would do such a terrible thing!?"

"We don't know…" Link said coyly, giving her a suspicious gaze. "Midna and Fi are also missing apparently."

"Well, here's hoping we can find them!" the white sorceress said, taking the hero's arm once more. "But for now, we really should get going to the temple! That sword's not gonna draw itself after all!"

"Wait just a minute, Lana," the hero said, giving her a hardened gaze. "What's going on with you?"

"W-what do you mean?" Lana asked with a frown, apparently taken aback.

"You're acting like you don't even care about any of our allies," Link said, taking his arm out of her grip once again. "And you seem obsessed on getting me to go with you to this secret entrance… Don't you think we should get rid of the ghost soldiers first?"

"Who cares about them?" the white sorceress asked in apparent aggravation, forcefully taking his wrist with a tight grip as she nearly dragged in forward, showing a surprising amount of strength. "As long as there's a way in, we should take it! Now, _come on_!"

Before the hero could even resist, someone else interrupted, someone that absolutely shocked them both. "Link?!" Lana called out as she wandered out of a nearby keep, her book of sorcery clutched close to her chest as she glanced around for the hero. "Are you out here? I heard your voice and I-"

The white sorceress stopped in her tracks upon seeing what looked like her exact copy gripping onto Link's wrist, her face mirroring her own shock well. The new Lana's eyes were wide in both confusion and amazement as she tried to figure out what was happening, which was the exact same thing the hero was trying to do as he looked between the two identical Lanas, unsure of what to think.

"No!" the Lana that was holding onto Link exclaimed as she let go of him, throwing her hands down at her sides in an apparent rage. "You'll ruin everything! I thought I had you taken care of with all those ghost soldiers!"

"Wha- Who are you?!" the new Lana exclaimed, shaking her head in absolute bewilderment.

The other Lana quickly regained her composure as she realized that she could use this to her advantage, knowing that she hadn't lost her deception quite yet. "I think the better question would be… who are _you_?"

The new Lana scoffed in disbelief upon hearing this question as she took a step forward. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm Lana!" she exclaimed, glancing towards Link, who was still taken aback by this sudden turn of events. "Right, Link?"

"Um… I honestly have no idea what's going on…" the hero said a bit sheepishly, exchanging a befuddled glance with Proxi.

"One of you must be an imposter!" the fairy exclaimed as the two Lanas came to stand side by side in front of the hero.

"An imposter?" the second Lana said, crossing her arms as she frowned at the other white sorceress. "I guess that's flattering, but it's still really inconvenient…"

"I guess that explains why Impa said Lana attacked everyone…" Link muttered in realization, glad that he had not been wrong in thinking that the white sorceress wasn't behind such mutiny.

"She's the imposter!" the first Lana exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the second one. "She must be! I mean, she just came out of nowhere!"

"I didn't come out of nowhere!" the other Lana protested. "I was busy fighting ghost soldiers in that keep this whole time! I only just now defeated them."

"Likely story!" the first sorceress scoffed. "Link, you can't honestly believe a word she says! I'll bet anything that she was created by our enemies to trick you!"

"What?! No I wasn't! I'm the _real _Lana! Link, you have to believe me!"

"Like he's that dumb! I can sense the darkness pouring from you! You're nothing but pure evil! I bet you attacked our allies too! I wouldn't put it past a malicious creature like you!"

"What?!" the newer Lana exclaimed, gasping in shock and deep concern. "You attacked our allies! Oh no! I swear, if you hurt any of them at all, I'll take you down myself! No one gets away with hurting any of my friends!"

This bold, noble statement was what struck Link the most as he watched the two of them argue back and forth over who the true white sorceress was. He knew that, above all else, Lana was a selfless soul, always looking out for those she cared about and devoted to protect them even above herself. He remembered that when he had asked the first white sorceress about this attack, she had shown cursory concern, but nothing deep and fierce like the second Lana was. Over all, the second white sorceress seemed much more accurate, for though both of them looked exactly the same, she was generally much kinder and gentler in her words and actions, something that made it easy for the hero to decide who was the original and who was the imposter.

"Silence, you creature of darkness!" the first Lana exclaimed as she stood ready to fight the other one. "Come on, Link! Let's take this imposter out!"

"I couldn't agree more…" the hero said, drawing his sword. The first Lana smirked triumphantly at the second Lana, who stared at Link with wide eyes of disbelief, her heart broken that he believed a cheap fake over her.

"Link, no!" the second Lana exclaimed fearfully, backing up as she prepared to shield himself from his no-doubt fatal blow. However, instead of striking her down, the hero stabbed his sword cleanly through the other Lana instead.

The first Lana let out a high pitch scream as she threw her head back, however, she strangely did not bleed. Rather, her form began to flicker for a moment or two as Link withdrew his sword and joined the real Lana in an offensive stance against the imposter. And, after only a moment or two of her form phasing in an out, the guise of the white sorceress faded away entirely to reveal none other than the dark wizard instead.

"Wizzro!" Lana exclaimed, a burst of electricity already forming over her palm as she prepared to make him pay for callously masquerading as her. "We should have known it was you up to no good."

"You foolish children!" Wizzro growled angrily as his one eye glared at the hero and the white sorceress. "You were only lucky that you were smart enough to figure it out, hero! I guess you're not as easy to trick as you look. You and that insipid fairy as such nuisances! It was absolutely miserable having to pretend to be kind to you! And as for you," he said to Lana. "I don't know how you handle being little miss goody-two-shoes all the time, but it's disgusting! Of course… I don't think many of your allies will see you that way anymore…"

The white sorceress took in a diffident breath upon hearing this, knowing that in a way, the dark wizard was right. By attacking their allies, he has certainly sullied her reputation in the eyes of all of their allies, but Lana was more than ready to mend her relationships with all of them, hoping that they would believe that it had not been her who had harmed them.

"But I guess none of that matters in the end…" Wizzro went on, grinning darkly as an aura of dark magic surrounded him. "I still won't let you get to that sword!"

Acting quickly, the dark wizard suddenly shapeshifted into the white sorceress once more, only this time she had a duller coloration than the original, making it easy to tell the two apart. With a sinister laugh, the fake Lana held her hand up as a powerful electrical current surrounded it, before she aimed it towards the hero and immediately let it lose. Though Link had his shield raised, he knew that trying to block it with it would only make the shock worse, considering the fact that the shield was a metal one, and would certainly conduct even more electricity. And yet, though the hero didn't have any options or ideas for dealing with this unavoidable attack, the white sorceress did.

From the moment Lana saw the electrical current spiraling towards Link, she knew that she wouldn't have time to create a barrier to block it, not that she thought it would have fully protected him from it anyway. And so, acting on both instinct and fear, the white sorceress rescued the hero from this deadly attack by making herself the barrier between it and him.

Only a second after Lana had jumped in front of Link and spread her arms out wide and protectively, the electrical current struck her in the chest, eliciting a sharp scream of pain from her as she was thrown backwards into the hero. The two of them collapsed together to the ground with the white sorceress landing on top of the hero as the current continued to rip through her body, allowing him to feel some of the sting of it, but nowhere near as much pain as Lana was enduring. The current both numbed her as much as it ripped through her in painful waves for what felt like hours, until, mercifully and blissfully, it ended, leaving her twitching in semi-conscious agony as she struggled to remain aware, despite the fact that she couldn't move a muscle. Lana continued to lay limply across Link's lap as he simply stared down at her in both shock and heavy concern, unable to believe that she had so easily sacrificed herself for him in such a way, knowing full well that he should have been the one to take the brunt of that attack instead of her.

"Hm…" the dark wizard said, still tactlessly mimicking Lana. "Not who I was aiming for… But if it means I can kill two birds with one stone, then I'll gladly take it!" With another wicked laugh, the fake white sorceress prepared another attack, this one meant for only the hero, but before she could launch it, something miraculous happened. Link took no notice of the Triforce of Courage begin to shine incredibly brightly on the back of his hand as he slowly rose to stand, making sure to set Lana down gently as she was still trying to regain cognizance. The hero's glare was dangerously livid as he gripped his sword tightly, prepared to make the dark wizard pay for what he had just done. However, it seemed as though the Triforce was going to do that for him.

The false white sorceress let out a piercing scream, turning back into the dark wizard immediately as the Triforce of Courage flashed brightly. Wizzro recoiled in pain as the purifying light overwhelmed his dark soul, but Link refused to relent as he stepped forward, prepared to take him down once and for all. But what the hero hadn't been expecting was for the ghost soldiers to attempt to do the same.

The dark wizard cried out in pain and surprise when he was suddenly attacked from behind, spinning around to see a group of ghost soldiers all ready to fight him. "You dead dolts!" Wizzro scolded in rage. "You're supposed to be under _my _command! Kill him!" he said, pointing a bony a finger at the hero.

"All who threaten the sanctity of the Temple of the Sacred Sword must be eliminated!" one of the many spectral knights said boldly, thrusting his ethereal blade out at the dark wizard once more.

"It looks like Wizzro's hold over the ghost soldiers is broken!" Proxi informed Link excitedly. "They're on our side now!"

"No!" Wizzro screeched bitterly, sending out a wave of darkness to take several of them out. "This isn't the end, boy!" he nearly screamed to the hero in a burning rage, still unable to deal with the sacred light of the Triforce. "I don't care what Mistress Cia says! Next time, I _will _destroy you!"

The dark wizard finally vanished in a burst of darkness, leaving Link and Lana alone with the large group of ghost soldiers. Link stood before them a bit warily, ready to defend against them if they still intended on attacking him. And yet, instead they all collectively knelt down before the hero in a bow of reverence, at last finally recognizing him as the chosen one.

"He who shall wield the sacred sword has appeared!" one of them exclaimed respectfully. "The temple doors have open. Please excuse our trespasses, oh one of the heroic spirit. You are now free to claim the blade of evil's bane."

Link had no time to react to this, for the entirety of the ghost forces suddenly disappeared, leaving him to get the Master Sword as they had said. However, the hero could scarcely think about that now as he quickly knelt down beside the still listless white sorceress, hoping that she was not too severely hurt.

"Lana?" he asked worriedly, propping her up gently in his arms. "Can you hear me?"

The white sorceress groaned in lingering pain as her eyes slowly fluttered open, taking a moment or two to focus on the hero, despite the fact that the rest of her body was paralyzed. "Y-yes…" she said, her voice but a weak whisper. "Are… y-you alright?"

"I am thanks to you," Link said with a small, grateful smile. "Why'd you do that, Lana? You know I would have been fine either way."

Lana let out a breathy laugh, hearing the light joking air in his tone. "B-because… you're too… i-important to… loose… Link…" she barely managed to get out, wishing that she could move so she could start using her magic to heal the internal damage.

The hero's smile faded upon hearing this, knowing that if she didn't receive medical attention soon, this shock could become fatal. "We need to go get some help," he said, glancing around for any sign of any of their allies nearby, but finding none.

"N-no… Link, y-you… need to g-get… the s-sword…" the white sorceress said, her head lolling a bit as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Not until I'm sure you're safe," Link said with sincerity, before he did something that absolutely stunned Lana. Slowly and gently, he scooped her small, delicate, yet currently limp frame into his strong arms as he held her close and securely. The white sorceress stared up at him in nothing less than amazement, her cheeks growing the slightest bit red as her mind raced with thoughts of affection. She had never once dreamed that he would be holding her in his arms, and yet he was, even if he was doing so to help her instead of in a romantic way.

"Link… I…" Lana began, breathless as she tried to think of something to say.

"It's ok," the hero reassured her, certain that she was going to tell him to forget about her and go for the Master Sword again. "I have a plan. Fi?" he asked to the open air, hoping that the sword spirit would be able to hear him.

"Yes, Master?" Fi responded telepathically a moment later, able to hear him now that the magical barriers the fake Lana had used to trap her were gone. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Fi, Lana's hurt. I'm going to take her back to the base, but do you mind getting over here and covering us? The ghost soldiers are gone, but I don't know if Wizzro's still hiding out around here somewhere."

"Master, if I may, I would advise against returning to the allied base with Lana at the current time," the sword spirit reported. "I can estimate with a 79% certainty that two thirds of our allies believe that Lana has caused them harm thanks to the deception of the dark wizard. If you would like, I can report to them the truth of the matter, so that they understand that they were fooled."

"Yes, please," Link said with a sigh, frustrated that Wizzro had sullied the white sorceress's good name in the eyes of their allies. "If you don't mind."

"I certainly do not," Fi said politely. "Master, the best course of action I can recommend at this moment is that you continue towards the chamber of the Master Sword. Though the temple doors have opened, I can confirm the presence of dark forces invading the interior. I will send some of our forces to aid you, as well as tend to Lana and her injuries."

"Good," the hero said with relief, already beginning to head towards the temple, which was relatively close to their current location. "Thanks, Fi."

"You are welcome, Master," the sword spirit said, also going off to fulfill her own mission.

"I-is… everything ok, Link?" Lana asked weakly, having only heard one half of their conversation on the hero's side.

"Yeah," Link said, glancing down at her with a reassuring smile. "Fi's going to send some soldiers to help us, and she's also going to tell everyone about Wizzro's trick."

The white sorceress closed her eyes and let out a sigh upon hearing this. "I… h-hope he... d-didn't hurt a-any… of them… t-too badly…" she said with remorse, thought of the dark wizard masquerading as her while bringing harm to their forces bringing her shame all the same.

"I don't really know what happened," the hero said, hoping the very same. "But I'm sure they'll all understand that it wasn't you who attacked them."

"Yeah…" Lana said, finally starting to regain some feeling in her arms again. "I hope so… Link, I-"

"Hold that thought," Link said, stopping in his tracks as he stood before the lofty, now-open temple doors. As he had expected, the interior was infested with bokoblins, all of them milling about in wait for someone to attack.

"Oh no…" the white sorceress said with dismay as she weakly turned her head to see the monsters running the purity of the temple's sacred halls.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to fight our way through to the final resting place of the Master Sword," Proxi said. "Might as well get going!"

"Lana, can you walk yet?" Link asked, glancing down at the white sorceress in his arms with a frown.

"Um… no," Lana said, trying hard to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. "Not yet. But it's fine. I'm getting some feeling back in my arms, which means I can start healing myself soon. You can just leave me here if you want."

"No," the hero said with resolve. "You saved me, Lana. There's no way I'm not going to just leave me behind after that."

"Wow…" the white sorceress said, awed by his selflessness. "Link… I don't know what to say…"

"Consider it as a way of saying thank you," Link said with a brave smile, shifting Lana in his arms to a slightly less comfortable position, though she didn't mind. With the white sorceress secured in his right arm as she rested over his shoulder and his sword held in his left hand, the hero charged onward into the temple, hoping that the Master Sword was not too far away.

Lana was amazed that Link was still able to fight so well despite the fact that he had a limited range of motion thanks to her. Though the hero made sure that keeping the white sorceress out of harm's way was his first priority, he still managed to tear through the bokoblin ranks lining the lofty, ancient halls of the temple. Most others would have certainly abandoned someone as immobile and injured as Lana in favor of the mission at hand, but not Link. The white sorceress knew he was different. The wellbeing of those around him was much more important to him than his own. And that was one of the main reasons why he was more than qualified to be the hero that Hyrule desperately needed.

According to Fi's intelligence, the chamber of the Master Sword was located at the back of the temple, and fortunately, the temple itself was not as large on the inside as it appeared to be on the outside. It was only a collection of about six or so large rooms, most of them interconnected, lined with marble floors and large windows that allowed the golden daylight sun to stream inside its dusty halls. And, while there were plenty of bokoblins scattered about, it was nothing the hero couldn't handle.

The white sorceress sighed in relief as she felt the paralysis in her legs begin to ware off, which was good news for both of them as Link hesitantly lowered her to the ground so she could stand, though she still needed his support to walk. It was around that time that the chamber of the Master Sword itself came into view, something that both Link and Lana smiled in excitement about. Oddly enough, the chamber was actually a large, forested area, akin to a lush, peaceful grove. Monsters didn't dare intrude upon it thanks to the sacred presence of the blade that rested within the pedestal within it, meaning that, at long last, the hero's path to the Master Sword was clear.

"Well, there it is," Lana said, her arm resting against Link's shoulder as she leaned against him for support. "Are you ready, Link?"

The hero was silent as he stood within the threshold of the chamber, the Door of Time, staring at the sword sparkling afar in the distance, a sword that was apparently meant for him. It was finally the moment of truth; this would be what would ultimately decide if he really was Hyrule's hero or not. "Yes," he said quietly, yet firmly, prepared for whatever fate had in store. "I'm ready."

Lana stood near the entrance of the chamber, just out of the reach of the monsters as she continued to use her healing magic while she watched Link slowly approach the Master Sword. The hero found himself unable to look away from the beautiful blade as he got closer to it, for it certainly lived up to how it was described in the legends. It rested stately in its stone pedestal, its silver, deadly blade shimmering beautifully in the heavenly sunlight spilling in through the trees, highlighting the mark of the Triforce engraved near its hilt. A golden gem rested at the center of the cross guard, and its handle was wrapped in teal bands all the way to the pommel. The violet-blue cross guard itself fanned out into wings that vaguely reminded Link of Fi's flowing cloak. In fact, the entire sword itself was reminiscent of the sword spirit, reminding the hero of what she had said about her being the spirit of this sacred blade. And perhaps it was that reason that he felt as though the sword itself was beckoning to him, as though it was asking him to draw it from its ancient seat and use it in battle as its lone wielder.

Link hesitated for a moment as he stood directly before the sword, already feeling the great amount of power radiating from it. Proxi floated in awe beside him, watching expectantly as he began to reach down towards its hilt. He paused for a brief moment as one more burst of doubt filled him, before he finally placed his hands upon the Master Sword, the world around him suddenly fading all at once as he did so.

He had wielded this sword before. He had wielded it before it took on its current form, before it was imbued with the immense sacred power that filled it now. He had drawn it from its place in the sky, had worked in conjunction with the wise, ethereal spirit that inhabited it. He had grown with it, forged it in the flames of the goddesses themselves until it had gone from the Goddess Sword to the Master Sword. His spirit had bonded with it, eternally connected with it, and finally laid it to rest when their shared mission was over.

But that wasn't the only time he had wielded it. The next time he laid his hands upon it was centuries later, when he was but a child thrust into a dangerous decision. And there had been consequences for him drawing it too. It had sealed his young body and mind away, for his own protection, so that he could grow in safety until seven years had passed. And then, he fought with it again, defeating countless foes as blood gathered on its immaculate edge, the only constant tool he had to sustain himself and survive in a war-ravaged world.

The next time he had wielded it has been out of necessity. Its sacred light had driven a dark curse away from him, restoring him to his true form. From its place in a sacred grove, he had taken it, using its light to drive away the shadows from the world. He fought bravely, yet savagely with it, tearing through every monster and foe that dared to stand in his way. And in turn, it guided his way through the darkness of the Twilight itself, merging with the fractured, yet pure light of the parallel world. And, when its usefulness had reached an end, it was laid to rest as the protective key over the resting place of a great evil, left untouched for generations.

Until now.

For now, he drew it from its pedestal yet again, all of these vague, distant memories stirring inside his mind as he closed his eyes, letting out a relaxed breath as it began to lift from its spot in the ground. With little effort at all, the hero slowly pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, both of his hands wrapped tightly around it until it was finally free.

Link opened his eyes in slight surprise as he looked down to the Master Sword, now resting in his hands instead of its ancient seat. For a moment or two, he merely stared at in disbelief, amazed that he had indeed been able to draw it. Its weight felt natural in his hands, more comfortable than any sword he had ever wielded before. And though no one had told him to, he slowly raised its tip into the air as if guided by instinct, a sacred golden light flushing its flawless surface as he continued to breathlessly stare up at the blade of evil's bane, which against all odds, now belonged to him.

However, what the hero didn't see as he slowly lowered the sword in front of him to admire the magical glow around it was that Lana had already departed with the two soldiers who had finally arrived to escort her back to the base. And, because the white sorceress was no longer there, no one was able to see the dark wizard materialize several feet behind the hero, an angry scowl crossing his features.

"Tired of hiding from me?" Wizzro muttered in tranquil rage, forming a burst of darkness to take Link down while he was distracted. "Little brat… I'll make you wish you had never crossed me!"

With a wicked laugh, the dark wizard sent his attack flying towards the hero at a frightening speed. However, though Link didn't know it was coming, the Master Sword somehow did. As if acting on its own accord, the sword guided the hero's hand, prompting him to spin around quickly, and right before the dark blast struck him, the Master Sword hit it instead, repelling it and obliterating it completely with its sacred power.

"Wow…" Link whispered in absolute amazement to Proxi, who was also taken aback by the sheer strength of the sword he now possessed. "I never expected it to be this powerful!" He looked to the Master Sword, still shining brightly as he held it out before him, amazed that it could help him telegraph enemy attacks and defend against them in such a way. Zelda had been right in saying that the Master Sword was exactly what they needed; with its might, there was no way Link could be defeated.

The hero smiled briefly at the sacred sword in gratitude for saving him, before that thankful smile slowly turned into a triumphant smirk, which he was quick to direct towards the shocked dark wizard.

"W-what?!" Wizzro exclaimed in both anger and sudden fear as he glided backwards a bit. "But… but how did you-"

"You're no match for the power of the Master Sword, Wizzro," Link said confidently, stepping forward as he held the sacred sword aloft, Proxi cheering him on all the while. "I guess that means no more of your dirty tricks."

The dark wizard clenched his fists in absolute fury, its sole red eye wide with hatred. "You fool!" he scoffed. "You think you've beaten me? This is only the beginning! Give me the Master Sword, or be obliterated!"

"Don't you know anything, you silly wizard?" Proxi asked pointedly as the hero took up an offensive pose, the Master Sword still glowing with sacred power all the while. "The Master Sword can't be wielded by an evil hand! In fact, the only one who can really wield it at all is Link himself!"

Link glanced over at Proxi and nodded in agreement, still grinning confidently as he prepared to attack Wizzro, but before he could, the dark wizard suddenly sunk into the ground, disappearing out of sight. "Hm… it seems as though this sacred location is blocking my powers…" he mused tauntingly from an unseen position. "Looks like a change of venue is in order. Why don't I go pay your darling princess a visit, hero? I'm sure she'd just _love_ to see me!"

The hero gasped in surprise upon hearing this, not even worrying about the dark wizard's fading teasing chuckle. "We have to go help Zelda," he said with resolve to Proxi, who agreed with him completely. And so, with the Master Sword at last in hand, Link departed the temple, racing to Zelda's aid without a moment's hesitation.

* * *

Completely without warning, the enemy forces had converged upon the allied base. Though Ruto and Midna, who had been found injured in an abandoned keep thanks to the false Lana, had been forced to retreat, taking the still heartbroken Agitha with them, Zelda, Impa, Fi, and Darunia remained to take care of the base and provide backup for the hero. The sword spirit had done her job in making their allies aware that they had been attacked by an imposter instead of the real Lana, who had for the most part recovered from Wizzro's attack and was able to fight alongside her allies once more.

"Our position has become disadvantageous!" Zelda called out to her fellow allies as they realized the allied base was about to be claimed by bokoblins, not leaving them much of a choice. "Let us retreat to the temple and strike from within! If Link has claimed the Master Sword, then he will certainly be joining us on the way there!"

No one dissented against the princess's plan as they all began to cut a swath forward, finding it hard to do in the sea of dark forces they were up against. Though they tried their best to stick together, they found themselves slowly dividing as they fought against the hordes of monsters. Zelda bit her lip anxiously as she watched her allies struggle, hoping that the hero would arrive to aid in their plight soon.

However, before the princess could attempt to hunt him down, a familiar dark laugh echoed across the battlefield. "I won't let any of you get away that easily!" Wizzro announced as he suddenly appeared before them, not even wasting any time in launching a dark blast at Zelda. Though the princess tried to avoid it, she was ultimately struck by the darkness as it knocked her back into the wall of a building, burning her as she let out a cry of pain. The dark wizard merely laughed at her agony, quickly launching several dark flames at Impa as she tried to go to her young ward's aid.

Even so, Zelda shakily rose to stand, her battle gown slightly damaged as she gripped onto her rapier with one hand and covered the dark burn on her arm with the other. "Stand down, wizard!" she proclaimed fiercely, unafraid of the one who had tried to impersonate her in the past. "The power of the Master Sword is on our side. Your end is nigh!"

"Like your little boyfriend even knows how to use its power!" Wizzro scoffed, sending out another powerful dark wave towards the princess. Though Zelda tried her best to deflect it with the light of her rapier, she still took the brunt of it as it bashed her into the wall once more, cutting up her back and burning her hands.

Not caring about the other allies who were all engrossed in their own battles, the dark wizard approached the princess alone, who was still collapsed on the ground, trying to pick herself up as she coughed up a bit of blood from his last attack. "Speaking of which…" Wizzro continued to taunt as he formed another dark orb, holding it high above his head as he prepared to bring it down. "It looks like he'll be too late to save you this time…"

Zelda's eye widened in sudden fear as she realized there would be no defending herself against such a direct assault this time. However, just as the dark wizard threw the powerful blast down, it was blocked by a force that was somehow even more powerful.

The princess gasped in shock to see the hero stand between her and the wizard, having arrived just in time, the full glory of the Master Sword shining as he stood ready to take his foe down once and for all. Wizzro recoiled back in fear of its brightness, but it was clear that the dark wizard wasn't retreating this time.

"L-Link…" Zelda whispered in awe, unable to take her eyes off of him as she realized that the Master Sword looked perfect in his grasp, as though it was made for him, which, in a way, it was.

Link merely smiled back at the princess briefly, extending a hand out to help her stand, which she graciously accepted. The other allies all cheered in support of the hero when they saw that the sacred sword was now his, knowing that their initial mission had been a success. Now all they had to do was repel the dark wizard and his forces.

"You weak children really think you can defeat me?!" Wizzro asked, though the panic in his angry tone could clearly be heard now. "I'll destroy you all!"

"Not if we take you down first!" the hero proclaimed, pointing his blade directly at the dark wizard. "You've caused about enough chaos for one day. It's time to end it."

Zelda, though very impressed by Link's sudden increased confidence and verve, nodded in firm agreement with him, holding her rapier at the ready to attack. Wizzro frowned bitterly when he noticed that he was surrounded on all sides, Impa and Fi joining the hero and the princess while Darunia and Lana continued to fight off his forces. The dark wizard knew he was severely out numbed in strength, especially since the hero now had the Master Sword in his possession. However, he was still not about to give up that easily.

Not sparing any more time on cheap talk, Wizzro held both of his hands up as a pool of darkness covered the ground below him. This darkness first snaked its way towards Fi, but the sword spirit evaded it by turning into the Goddess Sword and flipping high into the air. While distracted by the failure of his attack, Impa attempted to swing her heavy blade his way, but Wizzro deflected it with a thick cloud of darkness, though what he didn't see was the princess's light arrow flying straight for him. The dark wizard let out a cry of pain as the arrow pierced right through his robe, creating a burning hole through his form. The Sheikah guardian took advantage of this by finally landing an attack on him, sending him plummeting to the ground with a single slash of her giant blade. And then, to finish him off, both Fi and Link converged on Wizzro, two sacred blades landing simultaneous, deadly blows upon the dark wizard, both the Goddess Sword and the Master Sword sealing his defeat.

Wizzro let out a scream of agony as he recoiled on the ground, heavily damaged from the battle and unable to immediately pick himself up. He was lucky that the Hylian forces weren't vicious enough to kill him then and there; after all, he would certainly fall along with Cia and Volga when the time came. "Gah… You… c-cheated!" he accused, still bitter as ever even in defeat. "Then again, we didn't give you much of a choice, did we?"

All of the allied forces watched the dark wizard carefully as he slowly rose to float once more, just in case he planned on launching an attack even as weakened as he was. "If you want Cia, you'll find her at her base at the Temple of Souls in the Forbidden Forest," he revealed in defeat, surprisingly giving them useful information so they wouldn't harm him any further. "But she's not going to be happy…"

With another scoff of anger, Wizzro finally disappeared from the battlefield, taking all of his remaining forces with him. The Hylian forces all let out a collective sigh of relief now that their enemy was gone and the area was peaceful yet again, allowing them to take pride and pleasure in their victory.

"Link, the Master Sword really is amazing!" Proxi exclaimed to the hero, who was smiling down at the dimply glowing sword in his hands with satisfaction. "As long as we have this, we can't lose!"

"I know," Link said boldly, spinning it in his hand skillfully. "I feel like I'm unstoppable when I'm using it! It's like it was made for me!"

"It might as well have been," Zelda cut in, smiling brightly as she stood before the hero. "You did a wonderful job, Link. I knew you would be able to draw the Master Sword all along."

"And you were right," Link said, finally sheathing the sacred sword as he gave the princess a coy smile. "I don't know why I ever doubted myself in the first place. It's like you said: wielding the Master Sword is my destiny, and it's a destiny I'll gladly accept."

Zelda's smile faded slightly upon hearing this, glad that the hero was taking pride in his own accomplishments for once, but somewhat bothered by the almost cocky way he was speaking. "Well… all the same, I think it's safe to say we're ready to take this fight to Cia," she said a bit diffidently.

"Oh, I know we're ready," the hero said, glancing back at the hilt of the Master Sword with a determined grin. "She won't stand a chance against me this time."

"You mean… she won't stand a chance against the Master Sword… right?" the princess asked, her worry starting to slowly grow.

"That's what I said," Link said, even though Zelda was certain that he hadn't. "Isn't it?"

Before Zelda had time to respond, the rest of their allies all joined in on the hero's revelry. Impa gave him a nod of pride as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've come far, Link," she said with a pleased grin. "I'm proud of you."

The hero smiled and accepted her praise with a nod as Lana applauded his success. "Great job, Link!" she cheered, clearly showing that she was feeling much better than before. "I knew you could do it!"

"Congratulations, Master," Fi said, still as stoic as ever. "The Master Sword has chosen you as its sole wielder and none may touch it save for you."

"Nice going, brother!" Darunia exclaimed, giving the hero a hearty pat on the back. "You really stuck it to that wizard!"

"Thanks, everyone," Link said with an appreciative laugh, clearly soaking in their praise. "Especially you, Zelda…"

The princess was the slightest bit taken aback by him singling her out as he slowly approached her, a somewhat flirtatious grin on his face. "F-for what?" she asked with uncertainty, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks as he stopped only a few inches in front of her, slowly and gently cupping her face with his hand, in front of all their allies nonetheless.

"For believing in me," Link said, still smiling playfully at her, ignoring the warning glare Impa was sending him to put some distance between him and Zelda. "You gave me all the confidence I could have ever needed to get this far. And I can't thank you enough for that…"

"O-oh…" Zelda said, her voice trembling the slightest bit as she found it hard to look away from his handsome sky blue eyes.

"Link…" Impa admonished aloud, but the hero still didn't listen, shocking everyone, especially the princess, when he suddenly folded her into his arms in a sudden embrace. Zelda stilled in his hold for a moment or two before slowly melting into the hug, feeling strangely comfortable and at home in his strong arms. She couldn't help but close her eyes and smile as she leaned her head against his shoulder, blissfully taking this peaceful moment in for all it was worth before the Sheikah guardian all too quickly intervened.

"Alright, that's enough," Impa said with a hint of impatience in her tone, stepping closer to the pair as she gave the hero a discriminating look. Begrudgingly, Link released Zelda from their embrace as he let out an annoyed sigh, wishing that he could have held onto her longer, though he was glad for the brief moment he had. But even so, the hero and the princess smiled warmly at each other in the aftermath of their embrace as their other allies laughed good naturedly at the affection they clearly had for each other, save for the white sorceress, who couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh as she glanced away.

"Well," Zelda said as she recovered from her bashful weakness, taking up a mask of authority and poise before her allies as they departed from the ruins, their next task clear. "We have our objective. Travel to the Temple of Souls and use the Master Sword to defeat Cia. If all goes according to plan, this war will soon be over and Hyrule will know peace at last!"

* * *

**Ok! Well the Temple of the Sacred Sword stage has reached its end, but I can assure you that we have some of the best stuff in this story coming up ahead! I have BIG plans for the Temple of Souls, and I already can't wait to write it all! But first we're going to have something of a break chapter next time around, mostly character interactions, though there will be some foreshadowing as well! Its gonna be awesome! So, for now I'll leave on this question. What stage is your favorite in Hyrule Warriors (altogether, including music, visuals, ect.)? I'd say my favorite to play on is most likely Skyloft. They made it look so beauitful with the Wii U's graphics, and the music just perks me up every time i hear it! So, don't forget to leave your answers in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


	22. War Games

_Ok, so I'm not gonna lie: i had a TON of ideas for this chapter, but getting them all into writing proved to be rather... tricky. So... Oh, and in the reviews, I don't want any of you to complain about Link seeming to be OOC in this chapter, because that's really the entire point of it all. So... With that outta the way..._

_minimiminja: It really is like that in a way :D And yes, that scene with Cia getting punched out by Midna is always classic XD_

_drazol: Glad you liked it! And Hyrule Field is a great stage!_

_gamemaster437: I love the Palace of Souls too! Especially for its design, hahah!_

_Ok, well with guest reviews outta the way, let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 21: War Games_

In the hearts and minds of the Hyrulian army, the end of the war was drawing near. Now that they had the advantage of the Master Sword on their side, their victory against the black witch seemed certain. And so it was that the entire company had moved on from the Temple of the Sacred Sword, and were now on the steady approach towards the Forbidden Forest, the boarder of which being the location of their current camp. The next day they would continue their march onto the Temple of Souls with the intent of defeating Cia once and for all. But for now, they rested, knowing that they could use all the preparation and planning they could find time for.

The princess made sure to take absolute advantage of this temporary lull, and so, knowing that their forces would need a precise plan of action in facing off against the black witch, she had called a meeting of all of their allies from the past, hoping to strategize before the final battle. The war tent was packed to the brim in the early hours of dusk, everyone gathered around the makeshift map of the Temple of Souls that Lana had helped make based off of the memory of her former home. Working in conjunction with the white sorceress, the Sheikah guardian had formulated an attack pattern that would hopefully allow them to cut through Cia's forces easily so they could take on the black witch herself in no time at all.

"Alright," Impa began, her tone serious as she relayed the plan to the rest of their allies. "Here's how it's going to happen. We'll invade the area in waves so Cia won't be able to evaluate our full numbers until it's too late. Princess, you and I will lead the charge at the front lines with the elite forces."

"Very good," Zelda said with a confident nod, more than ready to put Cia's wicked plans to an end. "Now, our approach will be made from the front entrance of the temple, which means that everyone else is going to enter via a different route." As she spoke, she pointed to the various corners of the map to emphasize her point. "Each of you will be paired up so we can further confuse and divide the enemy forces."

"Ruto, Midna, you two will be taking the east entryway," Impa said as she looked to the two princesses.

"Sure thing," the Twilight Princess said casually, giving a broad grin to the Zora princess. "Think you can keep up with me, fish face?"

"Only if that slobbering beast you ride around on doesn't slow us down," Ruto retorted just as teasingly, her spunk matching Midna's perfectly, making them an ideal pair.

"Coming in from the west will be Darunia and Agitha," Zelda went on, giving a small smile to the Goron patriarch and the insect princess.

"Did you hear that, Mr. Darunia?" Agitha asked the Goron with an excited grin as she looked up to him. "We get to be on the same team!"

"Sure did, little sister," Darunia said with a hearty laugh of amusement for the young girl's enthusiasm. "We'll give those pests the hammering they deserve!"

"And lastly, that leaves Fi and Lana to take the back end of the temple," Impa finished.

"I can estimate with 80% certainty that this plan will be a success," the sword spirit reported in her stoic way. "The key factor that will lead to our victory will be all of us working in perfect harmony against our enemies."

"I agree. I know we can do this!" Lana said with a bright smile, hoping to ease any lingering tensions that might have remained between her allies. As much as she hadn't wanted to believe it, Wizzro had been right. By his cruel deception of her, he had managed to sully her relations with several of their allies, specifically Ruto, Darunia, and Agitha, considering the fact that Midna and Fi had both known the fake white sorceress to be exactly that, a fake. Fortunately, the Goron patriarch had quickly understood that it had not been Lana who had attacked him and his forces, and had accepted that fact with his usual cheerful verve. It had been a bit harder in smoothing thing over with the Zora princess, whose pride at first got the better of her as she recovered from her somewhat serious injuries, but after enough convincing on the white sorceress's part, she too forgave and forgot the whole incident with little lingering bitterness. The white sorceress had been absolutely shocked when she heard what the dark wizard had done to Agitha, knowing that such a hateful act most likely scarred the young girl deeply. Repairing their sister-like bond had not been easy, but after some kind words and a friendly bug-catching session, their sister-like bond was as good as new.

"And of course, once all of us have gone in and began a strike force against Cia's monsters, that will be when you come in, Link," Impa said, looking to the map before she glanced up only to notice something that she had not before: the hero was the only one absent from this important meeting. "Link?"

"He's not here?" Zelda asked with concern, also realizing that she had not seen the hero all day, which was strange considering the fact that they had come so spend so much time together recently. "Didn't anyone tell him about the meeting?"

"I informed him over an hour before our deliberations began," Fi said. "However, I am uncertain for the reason of his absence."

"Last I saw him, he was out sparring with a bunch of soldiers," Midna said, rolling her eyes at the hero's irresponsibility.

Impa and Zelda exchanged a glance upon hearing this, the displeasure in the Sheikah guardian's expression clear, something that already worried the princess as she followed her guardian out of the war tent. Unsurprisingly, they didn't have to look too hard for the missing hero, for he was indeed practicing his swordsmanship nearby with a group of soldiers under his employ.

Link grinned confidently as he prepared to square off against three elite soldiers all at once, spinning the Master Sword daringly in his grip as he prepared to strike. On a single nod of command from the hero, the soldiers leapt into action, all of them racing towards him, though he was more than ready to repel them. Without even using his shield, Link met all three of the weapons thrust towards him squarely with the side of the Master Sword, watching with excitement as the sacred blade emitted a bright glow on its own accord, which caused the soldiers to recoil from its sudden brightness. From there, the hero maneuvered quickly and skillfully, swiping around one of the soldiers and using the brunt edge of his sword to shove him to the ground. Without missing a single beat, Link went onto the next soldier, using the pommel of the Master Sword to incapacitate him by knocking him lightly in the head. The last soldier was succinctly taken down as well with a mere kick in the back courtesy of the hero.

All three soldiers groaned in defeat as the group who was watching all cheered over Link's success. The hero's grin widened as he took in their praise, gladly accepting it as he stood triumphantly, not sheathing the Master Sword even though the skirmish was over. After all, the whole point of him putting forth such a challenge to the other soldiers was so he could further test the power of the Master Sword, if not show off its might in just the slightest bit. He couldn't help but take pride in both his blade, and his own natural skill with it. "Better luck next time, you guys," Link said to the soldiers he had just defeated, sending them off back into the crowd to recover. "So… who's next?"

"Link!" Impa's angered shout caught the hero off guard as the soldiers all immediately cleared a path for their first general to walk through. Link's smile vanished upon seeing how enraged Impa appeared to be, though Zelda had made sure to tag along close behind her, hoping that the Sheikah guardian wouldn't get too cross with him. Likewise, all of their other allies trailed along them at a distance, knowing that they wouldn't be able to continue their planning without the hero being present.

"Oh, hey, Impa," Link said rather casually, digging the tip of the Master Sword into the ground as he leaned against it. "What's up?"

Impa's glare towards him only harshened as she came to stand before him, her hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to contain her fury for Zelda's sake. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"I think I was just toughening these soldiers up before tomorrow's battle," the hero said, his coy grin returning when he noticed the princess's presence. "Din only knows how much they need it."

"Link, you're missing our strategy meeting," Zelda said with a calm, concerned frown as she stepped forward. "We were planning how our mission is going to go tomorrow and we need you there with us on the same page, otherwise this isn't going to work."

"Oh, right!" Link exclaimed, though Impa noticed he didn't appear to be particularly upset about his absence. "Fi mentioned something to me about a meeting, but I guess time slipped away from me as I was practicing. Sorry."

"No, you're not," the Sheikah guardian said coldly, calling his bluff. "You're being completely irresponsible. You shirked off an important war meeting just so you could play with your new sword."

"I wasn't playing," the hero clarified. "I was practicing. Not that I really need practice in the first place." To prove his point, Link lifted up the Master Sword and gave it a deft, precise swing, its perfect edge glistening in the glow of the evening.

"Regardless, ever since you got that sword, you've been avoiding your duties as second general," Impa said, crossing her arms as she scowled down at him. "You're supposed to be training these men for battle, not playing childish games with them!"

"I am training them!" Link said, growing steadily more frustrated with the Sheikah guardian claiming that he wasn't doing his job. "I don't know why you're so worried, Impa. As long as I have the Master Sword, there's no way we can lose!"

"But what if something happens and you lose the Master Sword?" Impa snapped crossly. "What if you suddenly find yourself defenseless, without a weapon and without any of your allies nearby?"

"Like that will ever happen," the hero said, rolling his eyes as such a ridiculous notion. "After all, we already know that all of Cia's forces combined aren't able to handle me. There isn't anything she can throw at us that I can't defeat on my own."

Both Impa and Zelda let out gasps of shock at Link's sudden, uncalled for audacity, surprised to hear him say such prideful, callous things. "Link… I-" the princess began to reason with him, but before she could really say anything, her guardian was quick to cut her off.

"Why you conceited, overconfident, egotistical, little…" Impa trailed off as she let out a fierce growl of sheer rage, something that didn't even faze Link at all as he stood boldly before her. "What have I told you countless times before?! You can't win this war on your own!"

"Yes, I can!" the hero proclaimed firmly, completely believing his own words. After all, the Master Sword had given him power unlike any he had ever known before; certainly with its sacred strength, he could not be defeated. "_I _am the chosen hero! _I _have the Master Sword! You said it yourself: this is _my _destiny and my destiny alone! I can defeat Cia and end this war and I _will _do it by myself, without _anyone's _help!"

"Go ahead and try it then!" Impa argued back, completely engulfed in rage by this point. "You won't see any of us standing around on the battlefield to help you when you find yourself overwhelmed and on the verge of death because of your own stubborn foolishness!"

"Good, because I don't need anyone else!" Link said rigidly, not even caring about how he had garnished the wrath of his superior. "I don't need any of your overcomplicated plans either! In fact, I think you're just jealous."

"Jealous?" the Sheikah guardian scoffed. "Of you? Don't be ridiculous."

"Yeah, you are," the hero accused bitingly. "You're mad because I'm not that inexperienced recruit I was during my first battle in Hyrule Field anymore. I've surpassed you in both strength and skill, and that drives you crazy."

"How dare you even think something like that!" Impa shouted in raw fury, a hand already lifted to the hilt of her giant blade, ready to put Link in his place. "If you think you're so strong, then why don't you prove it, _boy_?!"

"Gladly," Link said with cold determination, gripping the Master Sword tighter as he held it in front of him in a fighting stance. However, before the two of them could clash blades, Zelda was quick to step in, not wanting to see two people who were so important to her fight over something as petty as this.

"Enough!" the princess proclaimed firmly, standing between the hero and the Sheikah guardian as she held her hands out. "Both of you ought to be ashamed for arguing like this in front of the troops, especially right before we are to fight a major battle."

"But, princess, he-" Impa began to protest, but she was quickly cut off.

"Impa…" Zelda admonished her guardian, hating the look of bitter disappointment in Impa's expression as she crossed her arms and looked away. However, she knew there would be time to reconcile with the Sheikah guardian later; for now, she had to deal with the hero first.

"Link, can I have a word with you?" the princess asked a bit anxiously as she turned to the hero, whose anger had lessened only slightly as he focused his attention to her. "Alone?"

"Of course, Zelda," Link said rather pointedly, shooting a hostile glance towards Impa, who returned it just as fiercely. Zelda sighed apprehensively as she began to lead the way away from the other soldiers, the hero following not too far behind her with the Master Sword still in his grasp.

Everyone else watched the pair leave in silence, all of the allies gathered together as the all exchanged worried glances. Lana took a small step forward from the rest of the group, unable to hide her concern for the hero's sudden, drastic change in attitude. She had never known him, in any of his past lives really, to be this prideful and cocky. It was as though he had become a completely different person upon drawing the Master Sword, and even the white sorceress was bewildered as to the cause of such a troubling shift.

Impa, however, was still clearly fuming from everything Link had brazenly said to her. She was certainly not used to any of her ranks disrespecting her as he so openly had, which was why she believed she had every reason to be angry. Despite the hero's status as third general, she was still above him and was still in charge of him, regardless of whether he wielded the Master Sword or not. And, if he intended on continuing with his callous, arrogant attitude, then she had every intention of humbling him just to teach him a lesson in honor and rank.

"That boy better watch himself," Impa said crossly, her anger starting to simmer down only slightly as she crossed her arms. "That overconfidence of his might just end up being his downfall."

"It really is strange though…" Lana said with a frown. "He's never acted like this until now… It's like being the hero has suddenly gotten to his head…"

"I can confirm that Master Link's confidence levels have drastically increased since he claimed the Master Sword," Fi reported as stoically as ever. "It would stand to reason that both events are in conjecture with one another."

"Of course they are," the Sheikah guardian scoffed, rolling her eyes at this proclamation of the obvious. "We can only hope that the princess can talk some sense into him. We can't afford to have a loose cannon on our hands now."

"Then you certainly wouldn't want to have my Link around," Midna cut in with a joking grin. "He has a temper like you wouldn't believe! There were times when I had to threaten to leash him just to get him to calm down!"

The Twilight Princess let out an amused laugh at these memories of her own hero as the sword spirit spoke up once more. "It is in human nature to err, and the chosen hero of each era is no exception when it comes to such flaws," Fi stated. "For example, my first master had a tendency to act before thinking, and such reckless behavior often led him to dangerous situations."

"Well, _my _Link is simply perfect!" Ruto fawned, letting out a dreamy sigh as she thought of the Hero of Time, her apparent fiancé. "He's brave, sweet, _incredibly _handsome…"

"Eh… I hate to break it to you, Sister Ruto, but I do think he has at least one flaw…" Darunia said with a half-frown.

"And what might that flaw be?" the Zora princess asked, completely appalled at such a ludicrous suggestion.

"You know he's pretty torn up about the fact that he wasn't there for those seven years when Ganondorf took over," the Goron patriarch reminded. "Last I saw him, I could tell that all that regret was clearly distracting him from what he needed to do."

"See?" Lana said to Impa, hoping to further calm her down from her prior rage at Link. "Everyone makes mistakes, including heroes. I'm sure Link will learn his lesson about being so overconfident sooner or later."

"For his sake, he better hope that he does soon," the Sheikah guardian said with an aggravated sigh as she turned to head back to the war tent to continue planning. "Otherwise, I'll give him that lesson myself."

* * *

Zelda didn't say a word about what had just unfolded to Link until she was sure they were well out of Impa's earshot. They had walked only a short distance away from the camp and had come to its outskirts near the Forbidden Forest, though neither of them were too keen about going inside the darkened woods so close to nightfall. Along the way, the princess had patiently listened to the hero as he went on about how he believed the Sheikah guardian to be incorrect and how he viewed himself as more than capable of handling their enemies without any assistance. Zelda's concern for Link steadily grew the more she listened, but she let him say his piece nonetheless, hoping that perhaps she could figure out where this change in his usually humble personality had come from, but she could find no discernable stigma for it.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," Link said eagerly as he walked ahead of Zelda, practicing sword techniques all the while. "Just picture it, Zelda; once Cia is defeated, Hyrule will finally be peaceful again. Doesn't that sound great?"

"It certainly will be a welcome change…" the princess said halfheartedly, however the hero didn't notice her anxiety at all as he continued.

"And the best part of it all will be when I land the finishing blow on her," Link said with a daring grin as he thrust his sword out. "I'll make her pay for what she did to you. I promise."

Zelda's frown deepened upon hearing this, though she masked her distaste for this plan well. While she appreciated Link's devotion, she wanted to take her own revenge instead of having someone else do it for her. "I understand that you're excited, Link," she said as evenly as she could. "But… I wanted to talk to you about what happened back there…"

"Oh," the hero said, his expression darkening as he glanced back at her. "So you think Impa was wrong too, then?"

"Well… I didn't say that," Zelda began, hoping to keep their conversation calm as opposed to the argument the hero had with the Sheikah guardian. "Though I can't say I agree with everything she said…"

"So you're on my side?" Link asked insistently. "I knew it!"

"Link, I'm not on anyone's side," the princess said, shaking her head. "I simply want all of us to be in harmony. An army that can't get along definitely can't function in any battle."

"Zelda, I didn't want to say this in front of all of the soldiers, but I think you and I both know that we don't need an army at all," the hero said. "Just send me into Cia's base and I'll defeat her and her forces alone."

"You should understand better than anyone else why that's a bad idea, Link," Zelda said, her tone not at all hateful, but rather worried. "It's not that I don't think you can do it alone," she lied, knowing that no one person would be able to stand against so many evil forces and win, including the hero. "But you have to understand that this is a war. And in a war, everyone has to pitch in their fair share. A single person does not an army make."

"You don't understand, Zelda," Link said with a frown as he glanced down to the Master Sword in his hands. "I don't really know how to explain it, but… this sword chose me. I know it did. You heard what Fi said; no one else can wield it but me. Its proof that this is what I'm meant to do: to save Hyrule from anyone or anything that threatens it."

"But you don't have to do it alone," the princess said as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Link, we have allies here from three different eras of Hyrule's history. They all came here because they want to help. Why won't you let them?"

"Because I don't need them," the hero said with a frustrated sigh. "It's not that I don't appreciate their company or everything they've done, but why put them all in danger when we don't have to?"

"Well… what about Lana and Impa?" Zelda asked pressingly. "What about me? Hyrule is _my _kingdom, Link. It's my duty to protect it just as much as it is yours."

"But Hyrule needs you in other ways, Zelda," Link said as he took one of her hands, making her blush the slightest bit. "It needs you to govern it and guide it. You have other people who can risk their lives on the battlefield for it. You have me."

The princess was silent for a long moment upon hearing this, her heart swelling with several different emotions at once. She couldn't help but savor the fact that the hero was just as concerned for her wellbeing as she was for his. And yet, while she knew his intentions were good, she could not allow him to try and fight this battle alone. "But I _want _to fight," Zelda said with resolve. "I want to be there on that battlefield at your side, Link."

"But that's just it, Zelda," the hero said, his tone clearly filled with hints of conflict. "You shouldn't be anywhere near the fight. You're too important."

"So are you…" the princess said, her voice but a whisper as she looked at him with worried eyes. Both of them said nothing for what seemed like ages, allowing the chirping of the evening crickets to fill in the silence between them as they allowed everything to sink in. Zelda noticed as Link's expression softened, his mouth hanging open in words that he for some reason wouldn't say. And indeed, the hero had much he wanted to say to the princess, yet he could not deny the sudden, unexplainable burst of anger that filled him upon simply looking at her beautiful form. He had hoped that she would have agreed with him, that she would have listened to his subtle fears for her own safety, and yet, much like Impa, she refused to let him fight his own battles. In many ways, Link viewed this entire war as something he was partially responsible for because of Cia's misguided affections for him. And because of that, he knew that the only honorable thing to do would be to be the one to end it, without risking any more innocent lives in the process. After all, he had the power to do so now in the form of the Master Sword, which was why he couldn't understand why none of his allies, all of whom had claimed to believe in him, did not have faith in him to put an end to this scourge now. Including Zelda.

"You don't think I can do it… do you?" Link asked as he moved away from her a bit, his tone expectantly low and cold.

"W-what?" Zelda asked, strangely breathless with sudden confusion.

"You don't think I could go up against Cia and win," the hero accused, his anger slowly becoming more apparent. "You didn't really mean it when you said you believed in me. You just said that so I'd go get the Master Sword."

The princess couldn't help but scoff upon hearing this, knowing it couldn't be any further from the truth. "Link, why in the world would I lie to you about something like that?" she asked, hurt that he would even imply such things.

"You said it yourself: we need the Master Sword to win," Link said rather crossly. "And since I was the only one who could draw it, you told me that so I would, only so everyone else could take credit for what's supposed to be _my _victory!"

"Is that what all of this about?!" Zelda asked, completely appalled. "Has your pride really grown so much that you can't stand the thought of someone else getting any of the glory except for you? I never would have expected such selfishness from you, Link."

"It's not selfish!" the hero argued, his voice rising in frustration. "It's fair! Face it, Zelda; I'm the only person in this army that Hyrule actually _needs _to win this war. It doesn't need Midna, or Agitha, or Fi, or Darunia, or Ruto. It doesn't need Lana or Impa. It doesn't even need you."

"How _dare _you say that my own kingdom doesn't need me!" the princess shouted in absolute shock and fury. "I've been its sole leader ever since my father died when I was twelve! Where were you all those years? Oh, that's right; playing soldier with your uncle until you were actually old enough to join the army. And even then, you were kicked out because you couldn't listen to a word anyone said to you, something that clearly hasn't changed and clearly never will!"

"I don't need to listen to anyone!" Link protested, not even caring about being right at this point so long as he won this fight. "And why even try to in the first place when everyone is so afraid to fight?! At least I'm willing to risk my life for what I believe in! Unlike _some _people, who, immediately after being threatened by the enemy, run away without telling anyone and wear a mask for weeks because they're too afraid to face their fears, like a _coward_!"

Zelda gasped in disbelief upon hearing this, however, she did nothing to restrain her immediate reaction. Her anger and pain fueled her as she harshly drew her hand across the hero's cheek roughly, watching with the slightest bit of satisfaction as he recoiled from the slap. Link merely glared coldly at her as he placed a hand over the red mark her strike had left across his face, refusing to apologize for anything he had said. Likewise, the princess would never give the hero the satisfaction of backing down from her own boldness, even if she was trying her best to hold back her pressing tears from overflowing in the midst of her guilt, grief, and fury.

At this point, it was clear that there was nothing more to be said. After all, they had both harmed each other deeply with their words, not that either of them would ever admit it. And so, Zelda merely let out a scoff of frustration as she abruptly spun around and stormed back towards camp, not even bothering to give Link a second glance in her rage.

The hero, not wanting to be anywhere near the princess at the moment, let out a shout of livid frustration, lashing out with his blade and allowing it to roughly strike the nearest tree, leaving a heavy indent in it. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so furious, and what was strange was that he couldn't really even pinpoint his anger towards one source alone. He was mad at nearly everyone and everything. He was angry at Impa and all of their other allies for wanting to take all of the spoils of victory away from him, spoils that he had earned on his own merit and strength. He was angry at Zelda for what she had just said to him, as well as the fact that she didn't truly believe in his strengths and courage. And in a small way, he was angry at himself, for so many reasons that he really couldn't begin to list them all.

Knowing that he couldn't go back to camp just to be reminded of everything that enraged him, Link absentmindedly headed towards the Forbidden Forest against his better judgement, yet he didn't care. Proxi anxiously flittered a ways behind him, having witnessed his entire argument with Zelda, though she said nothing to him, lest she make him even angrier. Of course, upon seeing the occasional monster interspersed throughout the dark woods, the hero was quick to take out any of them he saw, fiercely impaling them all on the tip of the Master Sword without a second thought. The fairy's worry for her companion grew even more upon seeing him in such a volatile disposition, knowing that such senseless slaying wasn't like him, but then again, neither was wanting to claim all of the glory for himself and callously stating he was stronger than anyone else.

"Um… Link?" Proxi ventured, flying a little closer to him as her light illuminated his path as night fell entirely. "A-are you… ok?"

"I'm fine!" the hero growled sharply as he violently stabbed another bokoblin before it even saw him coming.

The fairy swallowed, her wings shaking just the slightest bit as she continued to follow him deeper into the woods. "Are… are y-you sure we shouldn't be heading b-back yet?" she asked, knowing they were getting dangerously close to Cia's territory. "I bet everyone's really worried about you…"

"Who cares?" Link asked bitterly, his glare never once flinching as his light blue eyes only grew more icy. "I'm done trying to please everyone. I'll show Zelda she was wrong, even if that means fighting Cia on my own, tonight!"

"Link, that's a horrible idea!" Proxi exclaimed before she could think better of it.

"Well if you think it's such a bad idea, then you might as well go back to camp right now, because I'm not going to stand around and listen to everyone say that I'm not strong enough to do this on my own!" the hero yelled, nearly at his breaking point when it came to fury.

"But… I… I wasn't-" the fairy began apprehensively, but Link was quick to cut her off.

"Just go, Proxi," he said darkly, his back turned to her as he gripped the handle of the Master Sword until his knuckles where white.

"Link…" Proxi said softly, her voice but a nearly tearful whisper.

"I said _go_!" Link suddenly shouted as he glared back at her, unable to take anyone else doubting him. After all that had just happened, the only thing he wanted at this moment was to finally be left alone, his thoughts consumed in both rage and pain all at once. And though the fairy wanted to stay by his side out of her immense concern for him, she eventually let out a sigh of defeat and began to flitter away, not wanting to be at the receiving end of his burning wrath. However, she quickly stopped in her tracks when she heard a familiar laugh drifting through the trees, one that Link soon caught onto as well. And though Proxi knew the hero didn't want her around at the moment, she still managed to hide away in the trees so she could keep an eye on him from afar, knowing that if trouble did arise, then she would be the first to know about it and report it to the rest of his allies.

Link's anger was mingled with apprehension as a malevolent breeze blew through the trees, his glaring gaze watching as the black leaves whistled throughout the forest. He already knew who was coming, and he was more than ready for her as he raised his sword a bit. The tension of the moment was fueling his adrenaline, his heart beginning to pound out of both fear and excitement. After all, if everything turned out, then he could be returning to camp in just a few hours the lone victor of this war, proving to everyone just how wrong they were about him.

Cia's coy, playful laughter preluded her appearance. Link had figured that she had been watching him from the shadows for quite some time now, considering his proximity to her base of operations, and so it only made sense that she'd make an attempt at capturing him or doing whatever else she had intended for him. And sure enough, the black witch soon materialized in a burst of dark magic, surpassingly not deciding to sneak up on him from behind as she stood before him, bereft of her scepter or any other weapons. The hero was admittedly taken aback upon seeing her face for the first time, stunned by not only a clear resemblance she bore to Lana, but also at how enticingly beautiful she was, especially as her scarlet lips gave him an affectionate smile and her magenta eyes were alight with adoration for him.

"Hello, darling…" Cia greeted, her tone soft and sultry as she positioned her hands on her hips in a seductive pose. "Fancy meeting you here at such a late hour… Though I have to admit, this unexpected rendezvous is rather… romantic…"

"I'm not here to play games with you, Cia," Link said firmly, holding his sword aloft despite the fact that the black witch could hear the small traces of nervousness in his tone. "I'm here to put an end to this. Now you can either surrender peacefully, or be taken down by force."

Cia laughed melodiously upon hearing this threat, clearly not taking him seriously. "Oh, my love, you have me pegged all wrong!" she said, her tone filled with false sweetness. "I didn't venture all the way out here because I wanted to fight you. I would never even dream of harming you! In fact, I want you all to come visit me tomorrow at my humble abode. I'm sure you'll _love _what I've done with the place…"

"You mean you want me to come," the hero said distrustfully. "So you can capture me, right?"

"Well… while the idea of taking you as my own does sound appealing… I'd much rather you come to me on your own accord…" the black witch mused, elegantly placing a hand over her showy chest. "Which is why I've simply come to… talk with you, Link… I mean, it wouldn't be very fair of you to deny me the simple pleasure of merely having your wonderful company, now would you?"

Link glared at her anxiously, still not sheathing his sword, though he did find himself lowering it a bit, somewhat taken in by her amicable tone. Seeing that he was lowering his defenses, Cia took a few steps closer to him, the hungry lust in her eyes clear as she surveyed his form in the darkness. The hero couldn't help but revile a bit as she drew ever closer to him, knowing that even despite her seductive grace and beauty, the entire idea of being taken in by such shallow things seemed wrong.

"You know, Link…" Cia began as she surprisingly passed by him, though she did take the time to drape a hand on his shoulder, though he was quick to pull himself out of her grip. "I couldn't help but overhear that argument you had with the princess earlier… and I just don't understand why she doubts you so much. I mean… just look at you…" the black witch out a contented sigh as she looked him up and down once more, ignoring his wary expression. "With that sword, you really do look like the perfect image of the true Hero of Hyrule… Capable of defeating any foe that dares to cross your path. And yet none of your allies seem to believe in your strength… save for you, and of course, me…"

A quick burst of anger ran through the hero as he remembered everything Zelda had said to him, especially the fact that she didn't believe that he could save Hyrule on his own. Yet at the same time, he was quick to also remember who he was currently speaking to. Certainly, Cia would say anything or do anything to get him on her side; he couldn't believe a thing she said, including her attempts at flattery. "That's none of your business," Link said coldly, not showing any signs that he was taking what she said to heart.

"Perhaps it's not," Cia said with a coy shrug. "But still, it drives me absolutely mad to see you being suppressed and stifled like this, my dear… You deserve so much better; you deserve all of the honor and glory available to you. And… if you came to me, if you stood at my side… then you'd have all that and more…"

"You know that's never going to happen, right?" Link asked caustically, scoffing at the mere idea of joining Cia's side willingly.

"Never say never, darling," the black witch said with an easy laugh. "Just think about it… You, me… the entire kingdom of Hyrule in the palm of our hands…. Together forever…"

The hero let out a sigh of annoyance as he rolled his eyes, clearly not amused by the black witch's flirting. "No," he said with finality, refusing to break in his resolve.

"And why not?" Cia said, her tone darkening just the slightest bit as her smile faded. "It's not like you're any better off with _her. _She'll never promise you the greatness I can give you. She doesn't believe in your true potential like I do."

"She's not evil like you are!" Link exclaimed, making it very clear that she wasn't going to convince him of anything.

"Link, I hope you realize that this situation is not as black and white as that," the black witch said, her tone serious as she held her hands behind her back. "Zelda has deluded you into thinking I'm your enemy, but that couldn't be any further from the truth."

"You nearly killed her!" the hero argued, knowing that even if he was upset with the princess, he wasn't about to let such a heinous act go.

"I did what I had to," Cia said, her tone largely unconcerned and vague as she let out a long sigh. "You just don't understand, my love… You don't have the memories of your past lives… You don't know how much suffering you've been through because of her. But I do. I've seen it all. In every life, she is the one to force you into a brutal destiny that you never wanted or asked for. It's because of her that you can't live your life in peace! I only wish to save you from all that. I want you to be finally be free… from your deadly destiny… and from _her_…"

"You… you're lying," Link accused, even though his tone was nowhere near as steady as it had been before as doubt began to creep into his mind in light of everything she was telling him.

"Am I?" the black witch asked as she slowly began to circle him, keeping her malicious smile at bay. "I am one half of the Guardian of Time, after all. I've witnessed everything that has ever happened in this land… Believe me, Link… I know the truth. I know about all of this manipulation, all of these false feeling and lies of love and affection that she has ever claimed to have for you. It's all been an act from the very beginning, a ruse."

"No," the hero said, shaking his head as his uncertainty became even more apparent. "You're wrong. Zelda… she wouldn't…"

"She _would_," Cia insisted, her tone filled with ire for the princess. "Why else do you think she underestimates your abilities the way she does? The truth of the matter is that she only sees you as a tool, and nothing more. A safeguard to protect her precious kingdom from harm. She doesn't actually respect you as a person; she never has over the course of thousands of years. This Zelda is no different from her careless, pitiless ancestors, the very same ones who made your ancestors go through torture time and time again."

The black witch smiled as she noticed the hero's deeply conflicted expression, knowing that her manipulation was working. Her plan to use his anger at the princess to her advantage had been a genius one, for certainly she was sowing the seeds of doubt within him, seeds that she would eventually sow upon claiming her beloved as her own once and for all.

At the same time, Link couldn't help but feel as though some of what Cia was saying was true, as much as he didn't want to think so. And yet, a lot of it did make sense. He had been thrust into this grand, yet dangerous destiny without any warning, largely because of what he believed was an instinctual devotion to Zelda. But now he was discovering, with the startling revelations the black witch was telling him, that those devotions were not really his own, but rather those of his predecessors who had been led astray in much of the same way as he was. After all, if the princess really did care for him as anything other than a warrior, certainly she would have expressed her belief in his strengths, her confidence in his ability to win this war alone. Instead, she undermined him, criticizing his courage and casting off as childishness. It was all conjecture, but the disturbing thought enraged him nonetheless.

However, Link knew that he couldn't let Cia know that. After all, as much as he was infuriated with Zelda for tricking him like she had, there was no way he was going to go willingly into the arms of a woman who only wanted him for her own perverse desires. Despite what the princess had done, he was still resolved to save Hyrule from the darkness threatening it, no matter what he had to do.

"It doesn't matter," the hero finally said, feigning that he didn't care about any of it, even though he very much did. "We're still going to defeat you tomorrow and end this war, so you might as well forget trying to get me to join you. Like I said: I _never _will."

"That's what you think…" Cia muttered to herself darkly, knowing that now more than ever, her plan to end his stubborn resistance was falling into place. "Very well then," the black witch said with a disappointed shrug as she finally stepped away from him. "Believe her lies if you wish. But know this: I'm not the one you should be going up against. Be aware that there exists an evil that is far greater than what you believe mine to be. An evil that I'm sure you will see as an enemy as much as I do, one that will stop at nothing until this kingdom is destroyed. It lies dormant now, but be warned that if it does return… you'll willingly want my help just to stop it alone… You'd be wise to remember that…"

Link was certainly confused by the ominous warning Cia had just given him, unsure of what she was talking about. After all, if she wasn't their ultimate foe, then who was? "What do you mean?" the hero asked, gripping his sword a bit tighter as he gave her a distrustful look.

"I'm sure you'll see in due time," the black witch said with a scowl, preparing to take her leave back to her fortress until the impending battle. "But until then, I suppose I'll see you in the morning, love." Her seductive smile returned as she gave him a flirtatious wink, savoring every second she spent with him as her thoughts drifted to how things would change after tomorrow, and how soon, if all went accordingly, then she would get to have him all to herself at long last. "For now, I implore you to watch yourself and your princess, Link. After all, my dear, love, much like war, is but a game…"

* * *

**Ok, I gotta say it: writing dialogue for Cia is probably the funnest thing ever. And believe me when i say we're only going to get more of it in the next chapter, as we move onto my absolute favorite stage of the game: the Temple of Souls! So yeah, its gonna be intense, and who knows? I might just surprise you all during it... ;D But for now, let's leave on another question! This time around I want to know: Which is your favorite villain grounp? Team Cia (Cia, Volga, and Wizzro) or Team Villain (Ganondorf, Zant and Ghirahim)? For me, I gotta say I love Team Cia, mostly because Cia is honestly the best out of everyone IMAO ;D But please, let me know in the REVIEWS! (also 600th reviewer gets a free virtual cookie!) Until next time! :D**


	23. War of Spirit

_BAM! SHE IS BACK AGAIN! After over a month of absence from writing Zelda fics, I finally make my triumphant return with a chapter I have been wanting to write since I first started this story. And, with my new laptop and a new desire to pump this fic out in tandem with L&amp;S and my crossover, I am back and hopefully here to stay! Now, I won't be replying to reviews here, since I plan on going back to my usual PM replies after this chapter is posted, so yeah. Might as well dive back in! :D_

* * *

_Chapter 22: War of Spirit_

An uncomfortable tension rippled through the leading ranks of the Hyrulian army as they made their final approach on the Temple of Souls. With a string of boisterous victories behind them, one would think that the force's morale would have improved remarkably, and yet nearly every soldier could sense the strain amidst their leaders. Their allies from the other eras felt it too; something had shifted in the chain of command, and it had given way to an unknown bout of anxiety and disagreement.

At the center of all this stress were the hero and the princess themselves, something that most of the allies had easily guessed, though none of them really understood what had opened a rift between them over the past several hours. Only Impa herself really knew thanks to Zelda venting to her about her argument with Link the previous night, though Lana had been able to infer that they had some sort of falling out. It was for that reason that the two of them marched on opposite sides of the leading ranks, not even bothering to so much as glance at each other as they made their way through the Forbidden Forest. In fact, the princess and the hero hadn't even tried to speak a single word to each other since the day began, something that was disconcerting to the other allies considering they were marching headlong into what they hoped would be the final battle.

The imposing exterior of the Temple of Souls soon became visible through the thicket of decaying trees, and as the Hylian army came to stand before its elaborate metal gates, they collectively came to a stop so they could take in its twisted magnificence. Leading up to the temple was a sprawling garden filled with nothing but roses as far as the eye could see in many different sizes and colors. The once-pristine temple itself was showing signs of the evil that had corrupted both it and its mistress, with parts of its marble edifice beginning to crumble and decay into blackened ruins. Several portions of the temple even seemed to be lopsided and unnaturally tilted in unexplainable ways, just a further sign of how twisted Cia had become in her wickedness and lust. Lana couldn't help but take a few steps forward before the rest of the army, trying her best to hold back tears as she stood upon the grounds that her and Cia, once united, had once called home. But this place of darkness and evil was no longer her home now; it couldn't be. Even after they hopefully vanquished Cia, the white sorceress knew in her heart that it would be too painful to ever return here, to the very place where they had been violently torn apart, the place where this madness, this war had begun.

Upon being faced with the venue for their final battle, Link and Zelda finally found themselves exchanging a very brief, furtive glance, neither one of them wanting to show signs of any apprehension now. And so they both looked away in bitter glares, showing that there was still no resolution between them in sight. After all, neither one of them believed that there was anything they needed to apologize or reconcile for. Zelda firmly believed that Link was being immature, childish and selfish in his desires to try and end the war all on his own, something that she viewed as a foolish impossibility and nothing more. At the same time, though he had told no one of his unexpected rendezvous with Cia the previous night, Link couldn't help but recall the black witch's ominous accusations she had made against the princess and her predecessors as far as the pain they had caused past heroes went. As much as he didn't want to believe them, a part of him seemed to be telling him that Cia had been right, that Zelda really didn't care for him and only saw him as a pawn, born for the sole purpose of suffering and dying for her and her kingdom and nothing more. But, if there was anything that Link was resolved to do in this final showdown against the forces of evil it was to prove that he was so much more than what Zelda supposedly thought he was. He was going to dismiss everyone's doubts and underestimations once and for all, even if he had to stand against Cia all alone.

"Alright everyone," Impa was the first to break the longstanding silence of the allied forces, calling them to attention as she came to stand before them alongside Lana. "This is it; the moment we have been striving towards since this war broke out. Today, we make our last stand here against the black witch and her hordes. I'm sure you are all aware by not that not all of you standing here will make it out of this temple alive, but even despite that, remember to fight with valor and courage, no matter how great the threat we might face is. Remember what we are fighting for, the lives were are trying to save, the people we are working to liberate. Remember that, as an army, we stand together, we fight together, and we die together! We will not be cast aside and trampled under the feet of our enemies! We will fight until our dying breaths and we will not rest until this kingdom is free!"

Nearly the entirety of the Hyrulian army erupted into a round of booming, patriotic cheers in response to their first general's morale-boosting speech. In fact, the only ones who did not join in were the hero and the princess, both still too caught up in their hostile feelings towards each other to really join in the revelry of their army. Thankfully, none of the soldiers picked up on this, though a few of the leading allies did, specifically Lana, Midna, and Fi, though they said nothing about it, despite that fact that the lack of enthusiasm from Link and Zelda both was troubling at a moment like this.

"Very good," Impa said with a determined grin and a nod of pride for her forces. "Then let's not waste any more time. This war ends _today_! Move out!"

The soldiers did not hesitate in obediently following this order, showing how far they had come in their union and resolve. No further instructions needed to be given on how they were to split up, or where they needed to go. As had been decided the previous day, the troops split up into four fairly equal groups, each group under the direction of a different pair, and spread out around the fringes of the temple before moving inward. Clearly, Cia had been preparing for their arrival to her domain for quite a while, as the temple grounds were already infested with a great abundance of nearly every type of monster, from bulbins to stalfos to redeads and everything in between. And yet the Hylian army pressed on undaunted, their burning desire to win this war pushing them through the enemy's storm.

It took a while for everyone to split up, but after they did, the only ones remaining at the temple's main gates was a relatively small group of elite forces, spearheaded by Link, Zelda, and Impa. The Sheikah guardian nodded for the troops to move on ahead into the garden, leaving only the three of them behind as a tense bout of silence mounted between them all.

Needless to say, Impa took Zelda's side when it came to how Link was acting recently, but unlike the princess, the Sheikah guardian had far less patience when it came to dealing with such irrational brashness. Which was why Impa stared Link down harshly as he simply crossed his arms and glared away, already anticipating more belittling that he was in no mood to deal with.

Though Impa was fully prepared to give the hero another verbal lashing, she controlled herself, knowing that letting her anger erupt at the beginning of this integral battle would do no one any good. "Link," the Sheikah guardian began calmly enough, though she kept her tone and countenance cold and firm.

"What?" the hero asked crossly, making no attempt to hide his own inner rage, especially as he heard the princess scoff at his impudence in the background.

Impa took in a deep breath as she continued. "At least try to remember what we discussed," she said authoritatively. "The Master Sword is the most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal," she said, trying to avoid boosting Link's already massive ego by making anything close to the claim that the hero himself was the most powerful warrior amidst their ranks. "And as such, it should only be used as much as it's needed."

"I don't need anyone trying to tell me how to use _my _sword," Link said with blatant defiance as he passed Impa, a haughty stride in his step. "But I'll try to keep that in mind."

The Sheikah guardian nearly lashed out at him in fury once again upon hearing the clear sarcasm in his tone, but the princess ultimately stopped her before she could, speaking up instead as the hero began to enter into the garden. "Link, wait," Zelda said, her tone missing the edge that she wanted it to have and instead reflecting something more akin to remorse, even if there was only a hint of it.

Link stopped upon hearing this and turned to face her, his expression stony and unreadable as his icy blue eyes bore into her ocean blue ones. And all at once, Zelda found herself at a loss for words, her mind blank of anything that she could have possibly said at a moment like this. A small part of her wanted to apologize for her own rashness, even if he had been the one truly in the wrong. After all, what if something were to happen? The last thing the princess wanted was for her last interactions with the hero to be so bitter and coarse. But in the end, her pride got the better of her as she merely brushed her feeble attempt at smoothing relations between them off as she simply regained her regal composure, her posture astute and her voice hardened and apathetic. "Never mind," she said succinctly. "Carry on."

Though the hero was somewhat curious as to what the princess had really wanted to say, he ended up merely rolling his eyes as he turned once more, pressing onward into the garden with his fairy companion tentatively following closely behind him. Both Zelda and Impa lingered behind for a moment though as they watched him engage the first few monsters in his path with no signs of fear or weakness whatsoever. The Sheikah guardian's darkened expression softened as she glanced over to her ward, who, now that Link was out of her range, could only stare at the hero with a look of nothing less than absolute concern and worry.

"Princess?" Impa asked carefully, not even needing to say anything else for Zelda to understand what she meant.

"I'm fine," the princess said with a diffident sigh, drawing her rapier in preparation for battle. "He's fine. We're both fine. Why even worry about him at all, right? He knows what he's doing." The hints of doubt and anger in her tone were undeniable as she continued, but the Sheikah guardian made no comment on them as she began to follow Zelda into this deciding showdown. "He is the hero, after all."

Considering how harsh Link had been with her the previous night, Proxi was initially hesitant to breathe a word to the hero at all, lest she accidently incur his wrath once more. And yet, as the fairy watched the hero take on the crowds of monsters in the garden entryway, she couldn't help but get caught up in the clear, elated, though almost savage excitement and adrenaline that Link was putting off. And indeed, the hero felt completely at ease as he lost himself in the art of his own swordsmanship once more, feeling more and more empowered with each swing of his sacred blade. In light of the blood of the monsters he was ceaselessly spilling, he felt as though his own blood was pounding through his veins in a feverish, yet irresistible way. There was no feeling in the world that could possibly be compared to how Link felt so long as the Master Sword was in his grip. When he used it for the sake of vanquishing his foes, he felt all of his worry, even his former anger and turmoil completely disappear, as if it had never even existed in the first place. And as this confidence rose to the forefront, so too did the idea that this final battle would be a short one. For certainly, not even Cia and all her dark magic could hope to succeed against the might of the blade of evil's bane and its destined wielder.

Right?

* * *

"You're doing a great job, Link!" Proxi praised the hero as she flittered just a little above his head, a small part of her hoping that such encouragement would chase away the memory of him scolding her the previous day. "You've already taken out nearly a hundred monsters without so much as breaking a sweat! You're on fire!"

"I know, right?" Link agreed with a proud grin, his breathing heavy, yet excited as he paused for a moment in wake of the round of beasts he had just slaughtered. "And the best part is that it's a straight shot into the temple from here. Barely even a challenge at all!"

"Yeah!" the fairy said, hiding her slight anxiousness well as she glanced towards the doors to the temple, which hung wide open, almost as if Cia was welcoming them in, despite the fact that she had not communicated with them at all since their arrival. "Let's just slice up these enemies in the way really quick! It'll be easy with the Master Sword!"

"I couldn't agree more…" the hero said with a grin of anticipation as he brandished his blade, already rushing on deeper into the garden. Lana and Fi had already been working in the inner garden alongside their forces to cut a swath through the enemies, though Link didn't pay them too much mind as he fought on his own, ignoring any sort of aid that his allies were attempting to give him. The white sorceress quickly took notice of this as she glanced over at the hero upon defeating a redead, seeing that he was so caught up in the heat of battle that he was scarcely taking his surroundings into consideration at all.

"Link?!" Lana called out as she turned towards him, a frown crossing her features as she watched him kill a bulbin rather violently by cleanly decapitating it with a single swing.

"Hey, Lana!" Link greeted as he turned away from his latest kill with an almost euphoric grin on his face. "What's up?"

"Are… are you alright?" the white sorceress asked in clear anxiety, something that only grew as she tentatively glanced around at the garden surrounding them, seeing what the hero still failed to notice.

"Of course I am," the hero laughed, having all but forgotten about his former bitterness towards Zelda in the midst of all the sheer fun he was having in this fight. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"H-haven't you noticed?" Lana asked, amazed that he hadn't seen the stone effigies all around them, something that haunted her with every passing moment she spent in the garden. "You know… the statues?"

"What about the st-" Link suddenly cut himself off upon following her gaze to the statues in question, his jaw dropping in sudden shock and appalment. At each corner of the maze-like garden stood a large marble statue, all of them standing out amidst the blood-red roses and encroaching thistles. They were all different visually, yet upon seeing them, the hero instinctually understood the common theme between all three designs. One design was of a proud wolf, somewhat similar in appearance to the Twili one that Midna rode around on, his posture poised to pounce and his sharp teeth prepared to attack. Another statue bore the visage of but a young boy, only about ten or so, clad in a cap and tunic similar to Link's own, an ocarina poised to his lips in an eternally silent song. The final and most striking design to the hero bore an almost eerie semblance to him, a young man about his age with similar features, clothing and build and all, the only difference being that he wielded the Master Sword in his right hand as opposed to his left as he raised its tip towards shadowed skies above. Needless to say the hero was taken aback upon seeing these startling monuments, his bold elation completely shattered upon realizing, without even needing to be told by the white sorceress or the sword spirit that these were all effigies of his previous lives, all immortalized in a twisted shrine by Cia herself.

"Link…" Lana finally choked out stiffly, just as disturbed as the hero was as she attempted placing a hand on his shoulder. However, before she could, the black witch's wicked laughter finally echoed out across the temple grounds, breaking up the flow of the battle as spoke to Link directly, completely ignoring everything else that was going on in the battle in favor of her love.

"_Well, well…"_ Cia said coyly from her secure spot within the temple's main chamber, the only part of the fortress that was closed off from the inside out. "_Looks like your right on time, Link… How exceptional… I simply can't express how utterly beside myself I am that you came to see me! And I can tell that you admire my statues, don't you? Well, get used to them, darling! After all, as soon as I make you mine, this place will be our glorious home... Doesn't that sound wonderful?" _

Across the battlefield, Zelda stabbed her rapier into a stalfos aggressively upon hearing Cia's flirtatious message to Link, an unknown burst of hot fury coursing through her. "Stupid…" she muttered to herself, knowing that such feelings were foolish at a moment like this, especially after her falling out with the hero. And so, she did her best to block out the black witch's further callous statements, instead throwing herself into the heat of battle and endlessly striving towards the moment when she could make Cia pay for all of this once and for all.

"_Oh, and what's that?" _the black witch went on, easy laughter trilling in her tone as she watched the hero glare towards the temple from her base, a lustful grin gracing her lips. "_Did you find a shiny new sword, dear? Mmm… I'd simply love to see it… Care to come show me what it can… really do?"_

Link scoffed in absolute disgust upon hearing this, understanding the innuendo she was making as much as Lana did. The white sorceress's cheeks lit up in an embarrassed blush, unable to believe that Cia would stoop so low, but she supposed that the statues were proof enough of her lewd desires.

"Don't let her get to you, Link," Lana said with firm resolve, even if she was still immensely bothered by everything Cia was doing. "She's just trying to psych you out, but you can't let her."

"I know," the hero said as he regained his former verve, trying his best not to pay any more attention to the eerily on-model statues. "So how are we supposed to get to her if she's locked herself up inside the temple?"

"There should be three magical keeps inside the temple," the white sorceress said, her knowledge of her former home coming in handy. "They're supposed to serve as something of a barrier against invaders to protect the chamber that me and Cia used to house the Triforce in, the very same chamber that she's made her base. If we capture them, then we can cut off the flow of magic that's keeping the chamber sealed, leaving Cia with no place to go."

"So just capture the keeps then?" Link asked, already ready to dive headfirst into this new task. "I'm on it!"

"Ok, well, I-" before Lana could even finish, the hero was already off, dashing headlong into the temple without a second thought or any further need for clarification. The white sorceress signed in clear anxiety over Link's obvious overconfidence, knowing that it could certainly cost him if he wasn't careful. But all the same, there was no time to focus on that now; they had a battle to win. "I… guess I'll just go tell everyone else, then…"

* * *

Lana did exactly as she said, delivering the message to the other allies about the magic keeps in record time and prompting them to set individual courses to capture them. Zelda and Impa led their forces towards the western magic keep, working together seamlessly on the battlefield just as they always had, even amidst encountering the vicious attacks of the monsters in their path.

"The magic keeps are spawning strong enemies!" Zelda called out to Impa in the din of the battle, narrowly dodging a stab from a bokoblin's blade. "Cia must be using her magic to empower them!"

"Then we'll simply have to stand stronger than they are," the Sheikah guardian reassured, determined to take down the enemy forces that were greatly outnumbering them. "Let's just hope a certain _someone _doesn't get anymore out of hand while doing so…"

Zelda let out an apprehensive sigh, knowing full well who Impa was referring to. "As much as I hate to say it after what happened last night, I really am worried about him, Impa…" the princess admitted after cleanly taking out another stalfos. "He thinks nothing bad can happen to him because he's the chosen hero. At this rate, his recklessness and complete disregard for danger might cost him dearly."

"Then it will be a lesson well learned," Impa said coldly, firmly believing that Link needed to be put in his place.

"But what if something happens to him?" Zelda asked with clear anxiety, wishing that she could hide her worry for him away, though it was largely impossible. "He may be misguided, yes, but the last thing I want is to see him get hurt!"

"We don't have time to watch over Link in this battle, Zelda," Impa said as calmly as possible as she clicked her giant blade back into its stealth. "If he gets himself into trouble, then he'll have to get himself out of trouble. We have more pressing matters to worry about now, like capturing these keeps."

"I suppose you're right…" the princess said, though she was still frowning to herself as she continued to press her way through the monstrous hordes alongside the Sheikah guardian, edging ever closer to capturing the nearest magical keep.

* * *

"Whoa!" Darunia exclaimed as he was knocked back a bit by a moblin's shield. Agitha likewise shared the same sentiments as she stumbled backwards away from a bulbin after a failed attempt on the behalf of her moth friends in defeating it. "We're in some deep gravel now! The enemies we're facing have a lot more power than what we're used to!"

"Yeah!" the insect princess agreed with a concerned pout. "These beasties are quite rude! I believe they deserve a time out!"

To prove her point, Agitha was quick to unleash a jar of wasps upon the group of monsters rushing towards her, acting as quickly as possible to help them by swinging her parasol out at them. The Goron patriarch heartily joined in by whamming his hammer into the skull of the nearest stalfos, shattering it instantly. And yet, even despite the equal enthusiasm of them both, they quickly found themselves becoming surrounded by monsters on all sides within the magic keep they were trying to capture.

"Oh no!" the insect princess exclaimed as the crowd of monsters grew even more aggressive, to the point that they were merely swatting her attacking beetles away. "Mr. Darunia, these baddies just won't leave us alone! What do we do?"

"Er—don't worry, little sister!" the Goron patriarch did his best to reassure the girl, even though he had just received a rather nasty cut across the stomach from one of the stalfos's blades. "We can handle this!" Of course, Darunia wasn't absolutely certain of what he had just said, but he knew that he had to keep Agitha's morale high. After all, the last thing the protective Goron patriarch wanted was for the young girl to get hurt under his watch.

However, just when it seemed that the two of them and all of their accompanying forces were completely surrounded and practically overwhelmed, a new warrior managed to break through the monstrous ranks. Darunia and Agitha watched with both relief and surprise as Link, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere, began taking down all of the nearby monsters effortlessly, the Master Sword working quickly and skillfully in his grasp. In almost no time at all, he had singlehandedly taken down a majority of the enemy forces within the magic keep, capturing it in the name of the Hyrulian forces and cutting off a third of Cia's external power.

"I was just passing by and it looked like you guys needed a little help," Link said with a confident grin as he turned to Agitha and Darunia once the keep was clear. "Looks like I was right."

"Wow, Mr. Link!" the insect princess exclaimed with a wide smile of delight. "You really showed those nasty monsters! None of them are as strong as you are!"

"Yeah, great job, Brother Link!" Darunia encouraged with equal verve. "We were stuck between a rock and a hard place before you showed up!"

"Eh, it's all part of the job," the hero said casually, though it was quite clear that he was relishing in their praises. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there's still two more magic keeps to capture. Oh, and please try not to get into any more trouble, ok, you guys? I don't want to have to come rushing across the battlefield to save you next time."

Though Link left the keep with a daring, mostly good-natured grin, both Darunia and Agitha couldn't help but exchange a confused glance, knowing that it wasn't like the hero to be so cocky and callous. They hadn't noticed it that much before, but there was no denying it now; Link was letting his confidence get the better of him, a misjudgment that could very well prove to be costly, if not deadly, if left uncorrected.

* * *

Two of the three magic keeps had already been secured by the allied forces, leaving Ruto and Midna to capture the only remaining one in the northwest. The two princesses were a surprisingly formidable fighting force, combing water and shadow magic together in graceful, yet deadly attacks as they tossed playful banter back and forth the entire time.

"Once we take care of this final keep, hopefully we'll finally be able to get in that chamber and knock that constantly smug grin off Cia's face!" Midna proclaimed excitedly, more than ready to make the black witch pay for the curse she had placed upon her.

"Somebody's a bit overzealous…" Ruto said with a teasing laugh. "Though I can't say I don't share your sentiments. That shameful witch deserves to be taken down after all of the chaos she's caused. Not to mention for her appalling fashion sense…"

"Like you're one to talk," the Twilight Princess scoffed, knowing that Zora's didn't have the need to wear clothes in the traditional sense, a trait that the Twili shared.

The pair of princesses and their accompanying forces had made it to the magic keep by now, however, as they crossed its threshold, Ruto and Midna were met with a surprising sight. The keep was all but cleared out, with only a few straggling monsters remaining, though they were quickly being wiped out by the hands of the hero alone. For several moments, Link didn't even notice that his allies had arrived until he had felled the last bulbin, turning to the entryway of the keep so that he could finally head for the main chamber and face Cia.

"Oh, hey, Midna, Ruto," he greeted with a relaxed smile as he sheathed the Master Sword. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We _were _here to capture this keep, but it looks as though you beat us to the punch…" the Zora princess said with a disappointed frown as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah, what's up with that, Link?" the Twilight Princess asked somewhat bitterly. "We could have handled this one. Besides, you look… kinda banged up…"

The hero frowned and rolled his eyes at this, not realizing that Midna was right. He had suffered multiple cuts and bruises all over his body, and though he didn't want to admit it to anyone, he had managed to mildly sprain his knee in an encounter with a redead a while back. Most noticeably, however, were his black eye and swollen jaw, both results of a fight against a particularly fierce moblin. However, all these injuries were but minor pains in the midst of the adrenaline rushing through him, the high of battle freeing him from pain and pushing him ever onward.

"Well, now you guys don't have to worry about it," Link said with a shrug, feeling as though he was more than capable of handling this entire battle on his own. "After all, I was more than happy to capture this keep for us."

"But aren't you worried that you're stretching yourself a bit a bit… too far?" Ruto asked with a frown of concern.

"Too far?" the hero asked with a laugh. "Don't be silly. I've got everything covered."

Midna let out a disgruntled scoff upon hearing this, recognizing his overconfidence easily. "Yeesh, could you're head _get _any bigger, scarf-boy?" she asked rather harshly. "You do realize you're not the only one out here fighting, right?"

Link's expression darkened upon hearing this, knowing that Zelda and Impa had both presented him with very similar arguments before. He was somewhat surprised that he was hearing this from Midna, however, especially considering that she had traveled with a hero in the past. He thought that out of all of their other allies, she would have understood the weight of his heroic destiny instead of calling him out for what he simply viewed as his embracing and acceptance of it. But apparently, he had been wrong. "I do," he said succinctly, not really wanting to stick around to be scolded at once more. "And I… appreciate everyone's help."

"Help?!" Ruto scoffed in disbelief. "So you're saying we're only here to _help _you, instead of actually fight on our own terms then? Because if that's the case, then you're sadly mistaken."

Clearly annoyed by his allies' continued lack of support, the hero prepared to offer a biting retort, but before he could, another voice called out amidst the temple's dark, lofty corridors, speaking only to Link once more as if he was the only one present.

"_Link, stop wasting your time with these petty brawls!" _Cia proclaimed somewhat impatiently from her central chamber. _"I'm so eager to see you, my love! My doors are always open to you…"_

The hero clenched his fists tightly upon hearing this, completely forgetting about his former disagreement with the Zora and Twilight princesses. "It's time," he said with anticipation, drawing the Master Sword as he turned his attention towards the nearest entryway to the sorceress's chamber.

"The doors have opened and Cia's inside," Proxi confirmed as she hovered close to Link, trying her best to hide the hint of fear in her tone as she instead replaced it with the same self-assurance her companion was showing. "This is it! Let's take her down!"

Link simply grinned confidently and nodded in response, already drawing the Master Sword as he began to dash out of the keep, not even bothering to say another word to Midna or Ruto.

"Link, wait!" the Twilight Princess exclaimed with sudden concern, but her cries fell on deaf ears as he hurried off to what he perceived as his ultimate destiny. The two princesses could only watch with disapproval and shake their heads, both of them knowing that the hero was jumping into this dangerous battle far too brazenly.

* * *

The doors to the sorceress's chamber were indeed open wide on all sides, but the hero approached the room from its main entryway, completely undaunted as he rushed past all of the monsters in his way, not even bothering to waste time in taking them down. In his mind, this was it: the beginning of the final battle, the crusade that would finally end this war once and for all. His glorious victory in this last stand would spurn him into the very pages of legend where his illustrious predecessors resided. He would forever be known as the courageous Hero of Hyrule, the one who single-handedly took down the black witch and her treacherous forces and lived to tell the tale. He would show Zelda, Impa, and all of their other doubting allies that he was more than capable of fulfilling his destiny on his own, without any need for help or council. He was the hero, after all. This was his mission. He was going to succeed or die trying. This was the very reason why he lived.

Link was just about to pass through the threshold into the monster-infested chamber when Zelda and Impa both happened to round the nearby corner to see what he was about to do. "Link!" the princess exclaimed, unable to contain her worry for him any longer as she realized that he had every intention of heading into this battle alone. "Stop!"

The hero did so as he turned towards her with an obvious glare of displeasure. "Save it, Zelda," he said bitterly. "I know what you're going to say; that all of us should go in and fight Cia together."

"Yes!" Zelda urged as she stepped closer to him, her heart filled with fear over what might happen if Link attempted to take this task on by himself. "Link, please. You have to listen. Even though you wield the Master Sword, Cia is still has the Triforce of Power and she's still incredibly powerful. It's far too risky to go up against her alone! If something were to happen to you-"

"Nothing's going to happen to me!" Link insisted stubbornly. "You said so yourself, Zelda. This is _my _destiny! I should be the one to fight Cia, no matter how dangerous it might be!"

"Link, destiny and dying aren't synonymous," Lana interjected, having arrived on the scene moments ago alongside Fi and overheard the conversation. "Rushing into this battle alone won't prove anything. Acting on impulses like this isn't brave; it's foolish!"

"I agree with Miss Lana," Fi spoke up in her usual monotone way. "Master, I can concur that your chances for success in this battle are less than 20% if you choose to stand alone in it."

"I don't care!" Link argued back fiercely, unable to contain his frustration over their collective doubts and concerns any longer. "I'm tired of none of you believing in me! I can do this _alone _and I'll prove it!"

"Link, no!" Zelda shouted, her heart racing as she tried to think of anything she could say to do to stop him as he turned to face the sorceress's chamber once more. The princess was fighting back tears as she imagined the worst case scenario, which was far worse than the possibility of the hero even dying.

"Link!" Lana and Impa also shouted in concerned unison as the hero boldly stepped into the room, undaunted by their warnings and protests. His sword was already drawn and his expression carried cold determination as well as burning anger. He refused to let anyone hold him back now, or ever again.

His surrounding allies continued to cry out warnings as he passed fully into the chamber, and though they all rushed after him in the hopes of following him, they were quickly blocked in their attempts. The thick stone doors suddenly slammed shut the moment Link was fully inside of the room, crashing closed just as Zelda reached them. Her emotions getting the better of her, the princess let out a frustrated, tearful scream as she pounded against the doors with all of her might, her thoughts completely focused on whatever fate the hero could possibly meet behind them. It took both the Sheikah guardian and the white sorceress to gently pull her away as she continued to sob aggressively, her heart breaking over how Link had so carelessly chosen his destiny over his own life, as well as her. Zelda knew she was acting completely irrational, but she didn't care. All she could think about was the very real chance that she could lose the hero, whom, despite his glaring flaws, she had come to care so much about over the past several weeks.

"Shh…" Impa consoled Zelda solemnly, folding her young, distraught ward into a motherly, comforting embrace. In many ways, the Sheikah guardian shared the princess's worries over the hero, for even despite his impudence, the last thing she wanted was for him to meet his end, something that seemed quite possible now. "I'm sorry, princess. But he made his choice, as foolish as it was. His fate rests in the hands of the goddesses now. All we can do now is hope for the best…"

* * *

Link had barely even noticed that the doors had slammed shut behind him as he dashed forward into the horde of bokoblins lining the room. His sword brandished and his entire body hot with trembling excitement, the hero launched himself into the oncoming fray, barely even giving the monsters any time to react to his appearance. The tip of the Master Sword ripped cleanly into the chest of the nearest bokoblin, sending it spiraling backwards to the ground in its dying breath. Link didn't miss a single beat as he immediately spun around to cut through the monsters that were attempting to attack him from behind, powerfully slicing at them with just his sword alone, his shield still strapped to his back. It wasn't like he needed it anyway, considering the fact that Cia was still nowhere to be seen amidst these brutish hordes.

The hero couldn't help but let out an amused, cocky laugh upon seeing the bokoblins lining the edges of the room begin to shuffle backwards, their weapons raised in defensive positions upon merely watching him take out several of their brethren so effortlessly. Link lashed his sword out as a further sign of his clear advantage over them, skillfully spinning it in his hand as he gave them a confident grin, one that warned them of the certain death that would befall them if they even so much as attempted to attack him. Even creatures as ignorant as these beasts could see the hero's skill and bravery, and Link took pride in the fact that they feared him, knowing that none of them stood a chance against his deadly blade. He was on top of his game, the strongest warrior in all of Hyrule. There was no man nor beast that could best him, for he would certainly never falter or fall.

Or so he believed.

"A sword is just a tool for the weak to swing around," Cia's voice suddenly spoke calmly and collectedly from an unknown place, prompting Link to put his guard up as he glanced around for her. "Only fools and _men_ but confidence in them…"

The hero spun around right as the black witch materialized several feet behind him in a burst of violet flame. Cia eyed Link lustfully, her scarlet lips brimming with a pleased grin as she stood in a firm, yet seductive pose, scepter in hand as she let out an easy laugh. The hero said nothing as he set his jaw, his grip on the Master Sword tightening up just the slightest bit.

"Hello, darling…" the black witch cooed, holding back her immense excitement about being alone with him well. "You can't imagine how long I've been looking forward for this moment…"

"You mean your defeat?" Link asked boldly, refusing to show any signs of fear, for he genuinely felt none. "Because that's what _I've _been looking forward to."

"My, aren't we brazen…" Cia mused, clearly taking amusement in his confidence and finding it enticing and attractive. "And so hasty too… Why don't you slow down a moment, dear… After all, you haven't had time to notice my knack for… interior decorating…"

"What are you talking about?" Link asked, but he quickly gathered what the black witch was talking about as he followed the movement of her hands to the stone walls surrounding him. His breath caught as he froze in place, even more shocked now than he had been upon seeing the statues in the garden earlier. Hanging on all four of the walls of the chamber were a myriad of paintings of various sizes, all of them incredibly realistic in depicting the lone subject present in every single one of them: the hero himself. However, as opposed to being images of his past incarnations, these were all of Link himself, sparring no detail at all, from the color of his eyes, to the windblown nature of his hair, to the wear and tear of his tunic, to the folds of his scarf. The accuracy of them all was startling to the point of being almost terrifying, especially since each one depicted the hero in a different pose or expression. Link couldn't help but stare at them all with wide, shocked eyes, feeling the weight of his own gaze bare down upon him in the most unsettling of ways.

"W-what… how did you-" the hero attempted to ask, but his voice came out as little more than a breathless choke.

"You'd be surprised what magic can accomplish, love," Cia answered his broken question, clearly aroused by how unnerved he was. "I'd like to think that these are all my master works, if I do say so myself."

Unexplainably nervous, Link found himself taking a stumbling step backwards, trying his best to avert the countless sets of sky blue eyes all somehow staring at him but failing. He knew it was pathetic to show fear at something as harmless as mere paintings, but all the same, he couldn't help but feel disgusted and terrified by how deep the black witch's twisted obsession with him ran, which was far greater than he had originally thought. "W-why?" the hero barely managed to ask amidst his own breathlessness, gripping his sword tighter than ever, as it was the only thing he had left to remind him of his own strength amidst this madness.

"Because…" Cia said, her smile finally fading into a darker expression as she inched closer to him, the shadows of the already dark room making her beautiful face even more mysterious. "I want _you, _Link… _You _have always been my ultimate goal, the always unattainable prize to be won… But now… you're here… and you're _finally _all mine…"

Upon hearing this, Link finally found his former resolve returning, knowing that even despite the black witch's blatant insanity, he was still here for a purpose, a purpose that he was going to carry out no matter what. "I will _never _be yours…" he said boldly, standing strong and firm as he brandished his blade in preparation to fight her.

Cia pouted in mock disappointment, looking the hero up and down once more before a small, cunning grin crossed her lips. "Such arrogance… such ego… such pridefulness…" she mused, placing a hand on her hip as she realized that she was mere seconds away from fulfilling her ultimate ambitions. "This darkness nurtured within you…" she said, her voice rising as she raised her staff slowly. "Shall be your undoing!"

Before Link could even try to think about counterattacking, Cia brought her staff down fiercely, a bold of pitch-black magic shooting forth from it. His shield still put away, the hero had no means of protecting himself from the burst of darkness darting towards him at a frightening pace. It pierced him directly in the chest, ripping through his body sharply and powerfully as an immense wave of untold pain washed over him. Though the sensation only lasted for a moment, he felt as though something was being drawn out of him as the darkness passed through him, but ultimately it did just that. The bolt of magic surged through his body briefly before leaving him be, though the force of the attack was enough to send him to his knees as a lingering, jolting pain continued to course through him.

Link desperately attempted to catch his breath his he held his hand over his heart, which was the spot where the burst of magic had struck him head on. As he slowly lifted his hand from his chest, he expected to see blood pouring from a no doubt fatal wound, but he found not a single sign that he had ever been attacked in the first place. Confused and unnerved by this, the hero looked towards the black witch distrustingly, unsure of what her attack was even supposed to do. Cia simply smirked as she lowered her staff and nodded to a point behind him, silently telling him to turn his gaze in that direction.

Tentatively, Link did so, only to see a sight that made him gasp in absolute shock. Rising up from the ever-growing shadows behind him was a vaguely humanoid shape, though right as the hero realized that this creature was coming from his very own shadow did it begin to solidify into a more recognizable form.

"Link!" Proxi exclaimed in a horrified whisper as she apprehensively came to rest upon her companion's shoulder. "It's… it's…"

"Me …" Link finished, just as frightened to see that the shadow had taken his own form, the only difference being that its body was entirely black, save for its piercingly glowing red eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul. The shadow lumbered forward slowly, wielding dark versions of the very same weapons the hero had, clearly preparing to attack.

Watching her beloved's shock and dismay with perverse enjoyment, Cia let out a coy laugh, more enticed than ever as she realized that she no longer had to rely on dark copies of the hero to pleasure herself now that she had the real thing in her grip. "I can see the darkness in your heart, darling," she said to Link, nearly swooning with desire as he glared back at her fiercely. "It's so rich… so beautiful… but it begs the question… can you overcome it?" The black witch laughed once more as she watched the hero struggle to rise to his feet against the dark doppelgänger she had created, clearly still weak from the spell she had cast upon him as he stumbled and nearly collapsed once more. But all the same, Cia knew that she had to be patient for just a few more moments, knowing that she was so close to having the one thing she desired above all else. "Don't disappoint me, love!" she exclaimed as she made her quick retreat to her unknown vantage point, leaving the hero behind to fend off his dark copy.

"Link, Cia escaped!" Proxi informed her companion in a nervous panic as Link took up an offensive stance against the shadow.

"We'll deal with her later," the hero said as boldly as possible, though it was clear his confidence had been shaken in light of the fact that he was about to essentially fight himself. "Right now we need to get rid of this… thing…"

"All by ourselves?" the fairy asked as Link dodged the shadow's first attack, retaliating with a slice that nearly bounced off of the copy's dark blade.

"Yes!" the hero exclaimed as he thrust his blade towards the shadow. "I can handle this!"

"Link, now's not the time to be overconfident!" Proxi admonished, refusing to let him get away with this cockiness now when his life was on the line. "I shouldn't have egged you on about all this! You need help!"

"No, I don't!" Link argued fiercely, letting out a cry of pain as he took a rough blow to the shoulder. "This thing is _my _shadow, and I can take care of it on my own!"

The fairy didn't protest any further as she hovered nearby, watching apprehensively as the hero futilely tried to get in an attack against his dark copy, only to have each swing be blocked squarely and evenly. But all the same, Link refused to give up, glaring at this shadowy imposter fiercely as he continued to rush in with strike after strike, none of them landing at all when compared to how many attacks the tireless, lifeless shadow was getting in on him. Yet despite that, the hero refused to admit he had been wrong about needing aid. He could handle this. This was just a minor setback. He would defeat this imposter and then move on to defeating Cia before the day was through. This was just another obstacle, another monster that he would take down with verve and skill.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

Despite Impa's coaxing to return to the usual flow of battle, Zelda refused to leave the doors to the sorceress's chamber, pressing an ear close to them in order to catch any sounds of distress or pain that might alert her to Link being danger. For a long while, she heard nothing, that is, until the sounds of shouting and swords clanging became apparent through even the thick doors.

"Link!" Zelda exclaimed fearfully, already pounding on the doors once more, even though she knew nothing would make them budge. Impa had given up on trying to calm her down, since the princess's concerns all rested solely upon the hero's wellbeing now. However, it was ultimately Fi who came forward and confirmed to the princess, the Sheikah guardian, and the white sorceress what was going on.

"I can confirm that the black witch has retreated from the chamber," the sword spirit reported. "However, I am detecting a collective source of darkness still inside, one that has similar readings to… Master Link?"

"What does that mean?" Impa asked, knowing that it certainly didn't sound good.

"Oh no!" Lana exclaimed with a sudden gasp, catching onto Cia's tricks quickly. "She's using the darkness in his heart, all of his overconfidence and selfishness, against him! He could be in great danger! There must be something we can do!"

"We have to get in there!" Zelda exclaimed desperately. "Now!"

"I am afraid that might not be the most advisable course of action at the moment," Fi said, having just completed another scan of the area. "According to my calculations, the aforementioned darkness has taken the form of a dark copy of Master Link, and I can conclude that Cia has positioned several more evil versions of him throughout the temple. I recommend dispatching them immediately."

"But what about Link!?" the princess protested, struggling against the Sheikah guardian's instant grip as she finally managed to push her away from the door.

"There's no way of reaching him right now, Zelda," Lana said with a pitied frown. "We're all just as worried about him as you are, but-"

"_No_!" Zelda shouted fiercely, her emotions all bubbling to the surface as it took Impa having to physical restrain her to keep her from outright physically attacking the white sorceress. "You don't understand! You're _nowhere _near as worried about him as I am! You couldn't _possibly _understand how I feel about-" the princess cut herself off quickly as she let out a cry of frustration before going off on a different tangent entirely. "_I _drove him to this! It's because of _me _that he's trying to prove himself! And if she takes him, then I'll… I'll be…" Zelda trailed off once more, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks as she collapsed to her knees and looked towards the doors once more with a look of absolute hopelessness once more. "It will be all my fault…" she whispered brokenly, unable to tear her eyes away from the doors that her hero was behind. She knew she was being absolutely pathetic in the midst of such an important battle, but she knew now that there was no denying how she felt, and how those feelings were driving her to the brink of absolute despair now.

No one said anything in an attempt to console the distraught princess as the Sheikah guardian dismissed the white sorceress and the sword spirit to aid their allies in taking out the scattered dark copies of the hero. Impa let out a sad sigh as she glanced down at Zelda, who was sobbing inconsolably. She didn't need the princess to tell her how she felt about the hero to know where all of this grief and fear was coming from, which was why she couldn't really blame her young, terrified ward for any of it. At the same time though, the Sheikah guardian couldn't help but feel enraged at Link for making Zelda feel this pain in the first place through his own selfishness and stubbornness. If the hero did actually end up making it out of this fix alive, then Impa intended to see to it personally that he would have the suffering he was putting the princess through returned to him tenfold.

* * *

Link let out a frustrated shout as he pressed his own blade hard against his dark copy's sword, his arms shaking out of exhaustion and soreness as he was shoved backwards roughly. The hero let out a harsh cough as he tried to regather his bearings, blood coming up as he used his free arm to make a feeble attempt at covering the rather heavy wound torn across his abdomen. He had lost track of how long he had been fighting his shadow quite a while ago, but he had certainly taken a brutal beating since this duel had began. With no backup or assistance, Link found himself taking the brunt of almost every attack that the shadow threw at him, barely managing to land any himself, and even when he did, they did little to deter the merciless doppelgänger. His over-bolstered confidence had finally began to fade away into an ever-growing fear that he was fighting a battle he could not possibly hope to win. Already he was losing a significant amount of blood from the deep cuts torn across his shoulder, stomach, and leg, which, added onto the fact that he was tiring out at an alarming rate, only made his situation worse. But all the same, the hero knew that he couldn't give up, for surrendering now would be the same as surrendering into Cia's hands, which was exactly what she wanted.

The shadow's level of aggression seemed to be constantly rising, especially as it managed to bypass Link's shield and give him a solid, forceful kick in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. No longer able to keep his balance amidst his exhaustion, the hero crashed into the nearest portrait of himself hanging from the wall, letting out a sharp cry of pain as a sudden pain sparked across his back.

Surprisingly, the shadow actually backed off a bit as Link tried to pick himself up off the ground, hunched over on one knee as he coughed up blood yet again. The pain of his wounds was only made worse when combined with the immense frustration he was feeling over his weak inability to defeat his own shadow. He glared up at the dark imitation of himself, its soulless glowing eyes bearing down upon him just as much as all of the paintings did, threatening to suffocate him with their judgmental glances alone. He was losing, he had come to terms with that fact, but what made that sinking, burning, terrifying feeling even worse was the fact that he was losing to himself, to his own darkness. His own stubbornness had brought him here, his selfishness had ensnared him in this deadly trap. And only as he was about to face defeat at essentially his own hands did Link realize that he had indeed been wrong his whole time; he should have listened to Zelda, Impa, Lana, Fi, and everyone else, he shouldn't have let his overconfidence get the better of him, he should have been more patient, he should have been more careful.

There were so many things he should have done, and now, it was too late.

"_Aw… Is my darling hero getting lonely with just one measly shadow to play with…?" _Cia's voice teased Link from an known hiding spot, enraging the hero even more. _"Perhaps you'd like a bit more company?" _

As if out of nowhere, two more dark copies of the hero, identical to the first one, appeared in instantaneous bursts of darkness, all three of them brandishing their black blades against the wounded original. Knowing that he had to get moving again, Link hurriedly and clumsily rose to his feet, trying his best to chase away the dizziness that such a sudden movement caused him.

"Oh no, Link!" Proxi exclaimed, absolutely terrified as she hovered a few feet above the hero, her concern for him deeper than it had ever been before. "What are we going to do?"

The hero, too weary and breathless to offer a real response, simply shook his head as he wiped the blood surrounding his mouth away, his grip on the Master Sword never faltering as he prepared to face off against the trio of shadows. He did the best he could to ward off a simultaneous strike by two of them, deflecting them with his own blade even though he couldn't stop the third copy's strike to his upper arm. Link ignored the slay of blood that came from the rough wound as he desperately searched for an opening, anything at all that would allow him to make an offensive strike, but he could find nothing. The defense of the three shadows was like an impenetrable wall, one that was pressing hard against him with every intent of killing him slowly and torturously if he could not escape it. And in light of how injured, exhausted, and alone he was, the chances of escaping this onslaught were next to none now.

Link was defending against a barrage of attacks from one of his dark clones when the inevitable fatal blow came. He only saw the flash of the black blade for a very brief second, but he had no time to even let out a gasp of shock before the ebony sword tore across his chest quite heavily. The hero was unable to restrain his own cry of absolute agony, no longer able to keep his hold on the Master Sword as it clattered to the ground beside him unceremoniously. The force of the brutal strike was enough to throw him backwards when accompanied with one of the shadows' shields crashing into his already ripped open chest. Link wrapped a shaking arm around the wound as he back pedaled into the corner of the room, realizing with absolute hopelessness that he was surrounded and weaponless, the Master Sword lying on the ground just outside of the circle of shadows and out of his reach.

With only his shield to sustain him, the hero feebly held it up in front of his chest, knowing that it was the only thing standing between him and death. And even as pathetic as it was, Link found that he was struggling to fight back tears of pain, fear, and shame over how he had gotten himself into this mess. He had allowed this darkness that he was now physically facing to steadily grow inside of him, and now that it was out, he was succumbing to it yet again. Only now, it was even worse. Now, because of his own darkness, he was about to die, all without letting Zelda know just how much of a fool he had been, and how very sorry he was for letting her and all of Hyrule down.

However, right before the trio of shadows could land their final blows upon the beleaguered hero, they seemed to all freeze in their tracks, their blades raised high in preparation for strikes that would not fall. Link stared up at the ebony swords with fearful apprehension, unsure as to what was happening as he took advantage of the moment and slowly began to edge backwards, knowing that there was only a few feet standing between him at the corner, but he didn't care. If it could save him just a few moments, if it could give him just a few more seconds for a miracle of _any _kind to happen, then stalling the inevitable would be worth it.

The last thing Link expected, however, was for his wrists to suddenly be gripped tightly from behind, absolutely startling him as he was pulled back into the corner, or more specifically towards the black witch who had a steady and firm hold on him. "Don't worry, love…" Cia whispered sensually, her voice striking the suddenly terrified hero's ear as she held his arms behind his back forcefully and leaned in beside him. "I'll save you from yourself…"

Absolutely confused and frightened out of his wits, Link had no time to react to this sudden turn of events before Cia lightly grazed her fingers upon his neck, sending a small spark of magic through his entire body. The black sorceress laughed in amusement as she watched the hero begin to sway forward, though she still managed to catch him and hold him close, not even letting him fall into full unconsciousness before they both disappeared in a burst of dark magic.

* * *

It took one of the dark heroes finally happening upon Zelda and Impa to get the princess to regather her bearings and rise to fight once more. Lana had left to help Fi, Ruto, and Midna fight off one of the imposters a while ago, leaving the princess and her guardian alone to await on the hero. The Sheikah guardian had managed to convince her ward that the best thing they could do for the hero now was to help their allies ward of this evil doppelgangers, with the hope that Link could do the same on his own.

Zelda was admittedly a bit apprehensive about dueling against a twisted version of the hero, having to constantly remind herself that it wasn't really him as she traded blows with the shadow. Of course, Impa was making far greater strides against the copy, her anger towards the real Link showing quite clearly as she landed blow upon heavy blow on the imposter. And though the princess tried her best to be of as much use as she could be in the fight, she couldn't help but continuously turn her attention back towards the nearby doors to the sorceress's chamber, realizing with silent fear that everything behind them had suddenly grown silent.

"I-Impa…" Zelda choked, her eyes widening as she lowered her blade and took a step away from the barrage of attacks that the Sheikah guardian and the shadowy hero were exchanging. "I… I don't think he's-"

"Oh, how right you are, princess!" Cia's mocking laughter suddenly echoed throughout the main hall of the temple as the shadow Impa was fighting with suddenly disappeared entirely. The princess and the Sheikah guardian both spun around in startled shock to see the black witch herself, levitating high above their heads over the center of the hall, a triumphant grin spread across her crimson lips.

"Cia!" Zelda shouted with venom in her tone, her grip on her rapier like iron as she took a bold step forward. All of her former fear towards the black witch all but faded, replaced with a desire to see Link safe and out of her treacherous hands. "Where is he?!"

"Why, Zelda, whatever do you mean?" Cia asked, feigning innocence as she was clearly reveling in this moment.

"Don't play games!" the princess demanded, pointing the tip of her saber at her enemy as the Sheikah guardian stood tall beside her, her own giant blade ready to attack the black witch on a moment's notice. "You know _exactly _what I'm talking about! I swear to the goddesses, if you've hurt him, I'll-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Cia interrupted, rolling her eyes in amusement. "I wouldn't dream of harming my new… _prize_…" The black witch laughed in wicked triumph as she held her arms out wide above her, a figure materializing amidst the shadows in the vacant space above her head, very far out of the princess's reach.

Zelda nearly screamed when she saw him, suspended limp and unconscious in the air, completely at the mercy of Cia's magic. He looked as though he had been beaten within an inch of his life, his clothes torn and soiled with blood that was still pouring from his multiple heavy wounds. Even though his eyes were shut and his mouth was hung agape, his expression still somehow looked pained and lost, something that broke the princess's heart even more. But what bothered her the most was the fact that a spiral of dark magic seemed to be steadily spiraling over his entire prone form, making Zelda fear even more for whatever Cia's dark powers might be doing to him. She had seen this coming from a mile away, and yet she had prayed with all of her heart that it wouldn't happen, but it had all the same. Link had been captured, but Zelda didn't even have to make the resolve to herself that she would die trying to save him if she had to.

"So… what do you think?" Cia asked patronizingly, clearly enjoying the look of both shock, horror and rage on the princess's face. "Personally, I believe I've been waiting for this moment for far too long now, and of course, I knew that the first person I had to show the spoil of my victory to would be you, princess."

"Let him go!" Zelda practically screamed, her entire body shaking with fury. "_Now_!"

"Oh, now that's going to be a problem," the black witch mused with mock sympathy. "You see, while you may _think _that you're destined to be with him, you're sadly mistaken. You've used him time and time again, in both this live and all of your previous ones, and so I've decided that you simply don't deserve him any longer. Which is why I've taken matters into my own hands and am making him _mine _once and for all!"

By this point, the princess was so enraged that she was barely even listening to a single word the black witch said. All she could think about was that Cia had the _audacity _to capture Link, that she had the _gall _to even claim that she was doing so in the name of actually _caring _for him after supposedly injuring him so brutally. And in that moment, Zelda completely abandoned all her wisdom and restraint. She saw red as she lurched forward, her boots pounding on the ground as she rushed for Cia as fast as her legs could carry her, a powerful, practically vicious scream tearing from her throat as she focused every last fiber of her being on taking the black witch down.

"Zelda, no!" Impa shouted in sudden fear as she watched the princess blindly rush forward, but it was too late. Zelda would heed no such council now, not when Link's life was at stake. But in the end, such a thoughtless attack was futile, as Cia simply used a wave of magic to knock the princess back away from her and her prize before she could even come close to attacking. Zelda flew backwards for a moment before landing roughly on the ground, pain sparking throughout her entire body as she desperately tried to pick herself up off the ground and try again.

"Face it, Zelda!" the black witch said as she glided a bit closer to the injured princess, who glared up at her fiercely as the Sheikah guardian checked her over to make sure she was not seriously hurt. "You've lost! Your armies have fallen!" "Your kingdom will crumble! Your hero… is _mine!"_ As she spoke, Cia called forth her scepter, dark magic sparking around it as she raised it high, not towards the captured hero, but towards the princess herself. "And now… I do believe it's time for you to leave…"

Zelda only had time to let out one more frustrated scream before Cia threw her staff down, casting her magic throughout the entire temple. Immediately, every last regular soldier of the Hylian army disappeared, cast out of the temple completely and scattered across every corner of Hyrule like grains of dust. However, the black witch had something more sinister in mind for the essential allies of the Hylian forces. No more than a moment after watching with shock as their forces disappeared, Fi, Midna, Agitha, Darunia, Ruto, Lana, Impa, and Zelda all disappeared as well in bright flashes of light, split apart and tossed amidst the sands of time according to Cia's wicked desires.

And, as they all vanished without a trace, the black witch simply laughed in her ultimate triumph as she grinned up towards the listless, captive hero lustfully, reveling in the fact that after all these years of waiting and wanting, he was finally, _finally _hers.

* * *

**OOHHHHHH CLIFFHANGER! Look at me, completely going against the plot of HW and doing my own thing! Well of course! And I have to say that this tangent is going to go on for quite a few chapters, so buckle up for what I like to call the "Temple of Souls arc", which honestly began with the last chapter, but whatever. Anyway, I had a whole bunch of things I wanted to say here, but I honestly forgot them all, so I'll keep things brief. For now, I'll just leave you guys with the chapter question: Are you excited about Hyrule Warriors Legends? I know I am, especially since we're getting TETRA, Daphnes, Skull Kid and Phantom Ganon! So awesome! Let me know in the REVIEWS! Thanks against to you all for putting up with my sporadic ways! I promise that the next chapter will not take months on end! Until next time!  
**


	24. Divided and Conquered

_Ok, again guys, I am SO Sorry for making you wait this long for another chapter! I know I haven't updated since like October, but that's what happens with college, and other writing obligations and whatnot. But hey, I managed to finally pump a chapter out, even if it is sort of a shorter chapter and is something more of an interval one. But whatever, I just knew I had to post a new chapter of this before the new year! And so, here it is! I won't be replying to reviews here, and really, I think I'm just going to start only replying to them via PM if you guys ask me specific questions or have very specific comments, so... Anyway, we might as well get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 23: Divided and Conquered_

A natural burst of warmth draped over Lana's face, causing her to stir just the slightest bit. The white sorceress groaned tiredly, covering her face with her arm to shield it from the bothersome light, refusing to open her eyes in the strange exhaustion that lingered over her. It wasn't until confusion began to fill her hazy mind that she finally accepted the fact that she was awake and opened her eyes to see not the darkened skies above the Temple of Souls, but rather the radiance of the mid-morning sun against an open blue sky.

"What the…?" Lana mumbled to herself, still feeling drained of energy as she slowly pulled herself up to a sitting position. She opened her eyes even wider as she drew in a surprised gasp at the sight that laid before her. No longer was she in the Temple of Souls as she had been only moments ago, fighting off against Cia's forces alongside her allies, but now she was in a different place entirely. A vast, somewhat familiar field stretched out wide before her, lush and green and free of monsters across its rolling hills. Afar in the distance, the ivory towers of a castle that did not belong to the one of her time rose over the horizon. Overall, the scene was a peaceful one, but it perplexed the white sorceress nonetheless.

Thankfully, Lana was not alone here, for as she glanced over to her right, she spotted two of her allies lying unconsciously in the grass not too far away. "Midna! Agitha!" the white sorceress exclaimed with concern as she stumbled to her feet and rushed over to them.

The Twilight Princess roused as soon as she heard her name, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up and repositioned the Fused Shadow atop her head. The insect princess, however, was sleeping a bit more peacefully as she simply sighed contentedly to herself and rolled over on the grass.

"Ugh... What's going on?" Midna asked groggily, not even bothering to look around yet as she slowly rose to float again. "I feel like I've been trampled by a shadow beast…"

"Agitha?" Lana gently nudged the slumbering insect princess's shoulder a bit in an attempt to rouse her. "Can you get up? Please?"

The Twilight Princess scoffed upon seeing that the white sorceress's attempts fell in vain, as the young girl only continued to doze as she mumbled incoherently to herself. "Hey, kid!" Midna called to Agitha rather loudly, a complete opposite from Lana's quite tone. "There's a bunch of… butterflies, or whatever, over here!"

"Butterflies?!" Agitha exclaimed with a huge grin as she darted up, not even the slightest sign of tiredness remaining in her eyes as she scanned over the surrounding area for any sign of the fluttering insects. However, her elation quickly turned to confusion as she failed to find any, and instead found only Lana and Midna standing before her. "Oh! Miss Lana? Miss Kitty? What happened? Why were we sleeping? Was it nap time?"

Midna simply rolled her eyes at this remark as she looked over to Lana for an explanation. "The kid does have a point…" the Twilight Princess said with a troubled frown. "Weren't we all just in Cia's palace a minute ago? How'd we get all the way out here? And where's everyone else?"

"I'm not sure…" Lana mused as she took a few steps forward, focusing her attention on the castle afar in the distance specifically. "It's so strange… It's like we were all pulled right out of the battle and ended up here… wherever this is…"

"We're _home_!" Agitha exclaimed with a joyful gasp as she cheerfully leapt up and down upon looking towards the castle as well.

"What?" the white sorceress asked in confusion, glancing to Midna, who was staring at the castle towers with wide eyes.

"She's… _right_…" the Twilight Princess affirmed quietly, clearly shocked by this news. "We're back in _our_ time, _our_ Hyrule. And I should know; I've been around this kingdom enough times with my Link to know it almost as well as the Twilight Realm itself."

Lana was silent for a moment upon hearing this, bewilderment overcoming her as she tried to make sense of the situation. It made no sense; what could have happened in the midst of the battle that would have ripped them away from the Palace of Souls and several centuries back to the Era of Twilight? Where were their other allies? Were they also in the same time period, just in different locations? Were they still fighting Cia's forces back at the Palace of Souls? Or were they somewhere else entirely?

"Oh, I bet all of my little bugs at home have missed me so much since I've been away!" Agitha gushed, still clearly overjoyed to be back in the Hyrule of her own time. "I can't wait to go see them all and introduce them to all of the new bugs that I've met during our trip!"

"Hold it there, kid," Midna interrupted her enthusiasm as she hovered in a somewhat relaxed pose, even if her expression betrayed the same puzzlement that Lana was feeling. "We can't head home just yet. We still gotta figure out what happened. That is… unless…"

"Unless what?" Lana asked as she turned away from the castle to face her allies.

"Unless we _won_," Midna said, the sudden theory still churning inside of her head as well. "What if Link or Zelda or someone else actually managed to land the final blow on Cia? What if we won and were sent back here because of some time-magic nonsense?"

The white sorceress hated to crush the Twilight Princess's budding excitement, but she knew that she had to, especially as her elation was beginning to spread to the insect princess as well. "Midna, I'm sorry but… I don't think that's true… If Cia had been defeated, I would have felt it. We are two halves of the same whole after all… And besides, if Cia was gone, then wouldn't you be restored to your true form?"

Midna's smile instantly disappeared into a bitter frown as she glanced down at herself, still seeing a small impish body instead of her true, tall, illustrious form. She let out a sigh of disappointment as she glared coldly at the ground, growing ever impatient for the black witch's long awaited defeat, which seemed even more out of reach now that they were back in the Era of Twilight somehow.

"But…" Lana said after a moment of silence, regretting having revealed the truth to Midna upon seeing her disappointment. "I think I do have a theory about what actually happened… I think Cia sent us back here intentionally…"

"Why would she do that?" the Twilight Princess asked with a scoff, thinking that idea to be even more inane than her own.

"Maybe she thought we were homesick!" Agitha quipped innocently.

"I… highly doubt that…" Lana said with a frown. "I could be wrong, but I believe Cia wanted us all out of her hair all at once… And so she used a powerful spell to expel us from the Palace of Souls and somehow… she sent us here."

"But why here?" Midna inquired, knowing it would have made more sense for the black witch to off them all instead of merely pushing them back in time. What made even less sense though was the fact that Cia had sent the three of them to this era specifically, especially since they had battled there before and had the advantage of being familiar with it.

"That I don't know..." Lana replied. "But what I do know is that Cia did this for a reason, and I think I know exactly what that reason is…"

It took Midna a minute to catch her drift, even if it flew over Agitha's head entirely. But when the Twilight Princess did come to understand, the very thought filled her with dread. "Oh… you… you don't think…"

"I do…" Lana said gravely.

Midna let out a harsh scoff of disgust upon hearing this, the same overprotective side she had for the hero of her own time filling her as she thought of what might have happened to the hero of the present-day Hyrule. "That… that _witch_!" she exclaimed hotly, practically screaming as she launched herself into a fit of rage. "That worthless, low-down, lewd, sadistic, perverted, selfish, despicable, evil _wrench_! If she so much as _touches _him, I'll kill her myself! Goddess, what a bi-"

"_Midna_!" Lana exclaimed as she rushed to cover Agitha's ears before the swear escaped from the Twilight Princess.

Midna let out a huffy, enraged breath as she silenced herself and crossed her arms, glaring bitterly away from the white sorceress. "We _have _to do something," she said with cold resolve, imaging Link, _her _Link in the treacherous grip of the black witch. The very thought nearly made her retch with revulsion. "We… we can't just let her…"

"And we won't," Lana agreed, knowing that she would never be able to forgive herself if Cia did anything to Link. "We have to find a way back to the present and reunite with everyone else. If Cia really did capture Link, then we'll need all the help we can get in saving him."

"Oh goodie!" Agitha cheered with a smile. "We're going to find all our friends again! I'm missing them all already!"

"Yeah, but… how?" Midna asked. "Can you just… make us a portal back like you did before?"

"I don't think it will be that simple this time…" the white sorceress mused as she closed her eyes and focused her magic. "Something's happened to the flow of time… Cia must have done something to it when she sent us here to keep us from returning. It's almost like… it's been closed up…"

"So we're trapped here?" the Twilight Princess said with growing dismay.

"Not necessarily," Lana clarified as she knelt down in the grass and opened up her magic tome, leafing through its weathered pages. "Aha, here it is!" she smiled as she held the book out for Midna and Agitha to see the page she had pinpointed, most of its script written in a Hylian script neither one of them could comprehend as it showed several intricate illustrations, the most paramount among them being a drawing of the Master Sword. "This is a little hard to explain, but I'll try to make it simple," the white sorceress began. "Think of time like… a hallway, filled with many different doors, each door leading to a different era or age. For those who are able to utilize time-traveling magic, it's easy to traverse that hallway and go through any door of their choosing without any problems. But suddenly… it's like all of those doors have been locked, most likely by Cia. She tossed us here in the Twilight era and locked the door from the outside in. And the only way to get out and back to our time, is to find the key."

"Key?" Midna asked, trying her best to understand the complicated analogy, even though it was all lost on Agitha completely. "What's the key?"

"The key is… the Master Sword," Lana said, pointing to the image of the sacred blade. "It's long been believed that the Master Sword has some power to traverse time, and it says here that… '_In instances of the gateways of time being shut by dark magic or curses, the Master Sword can ward such magic away and act as a vessel for traveling through the ages. Past, present, future; the Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river_.'"

"Hm, poetic," Midna commented once Lana was through reading the passage. "So… all we need is the Master Sword?"

"Yes, but… there's one big problem…" the white sorceress said with a frown as she closed her book. "_We _don't have the Master Sword; Link does, and if Cia really does have him, then our chances of ever seeing it again, or returning to the present, are next to none…"

"Not entirely…" the Twilight Princess said rather vaguely. "I wouldn't say our situation is _completely _hopeless…"

"Midna?" Lana asked in confusion as she rose to stand.

"I have a plan," Midna said with a resolved grin as she turned to Agitha. "Hey, kid, can you do me a huge favor?"

"Sure thing, Miss Kitty!" Agitha said eagerly.

The Twilight Princess took in a deep breath, knowing that she was taking a risk relying on the flighty insect princess at a time like this, but she didn't really have too many other options to get this task done. "Listen carefully," she began, her tone serious as she tried to break this down as simply as possible. "I need you to go to the castle and find Princess Zelda."

"But Princess Zelda isn't here!" Agitha said with a frown, thinking that the Twilight Princess was talking about their missing ally.

"Wha—no, no, no!" Midna said, shaking her head as she understood where such confusion could have come from. "Not _that _Princess Zelda. The Princess Zelda of this time."

"What?" Lana cut in, clearly puzzled by the Twilight Princess's idea. "Why do we need her?"

"You'll see," Midna said with a sly grin, still being ambiguous about her plan. "But for now, I need you to go do this for me, kid—_Agitha._" She resorted to calling the girl by her actual name this time as a show of just how serious she was. "Can I count on you?"

"Of course, Miss Kitty!" Agitha said with a compliant nod. "What do you want me to tell her? Oh! I could give her one of my prized beetles if you want!"

"Somehow, I don't think she'd be too crazy about that…" Midna muttered in slight exasperation. "No; all I need is for you to get her to come meet us out here. She might not believe what you tell her at first, so if that's the case, just tell her that Midna sent you. And give her this." With a swift wave of her hand, the Twilight Princess made an elegant, golden charm necklace appear above her palm. Its chain was simple, and from it hung a small rendition of the Hyrulian royal crest, its Triforce mark encrusted with a ruby, a sapphire, and an emerald. "She'll know what it is," she said, handing the necklace to Agitha, who clasped it carefully in her hands before placing it in her basket for safekeeping.

"Where did you get that?" Lana asked Midna, knowing that such jewelry certainly wasn't native to the Twilight Realm.

"She gave it to me before I left," the Twilight Princess said with a soft smile. "Said it was supposed to be a parting gift. It's not really my taste, but… it's the thought that counts, I guess. Now," she said to Agitha, hoping that the girl would do as she was told. "Get going, kid. And don't mess this up!"

"I won't!" the insect princess reassured as she began on her way back to town. "Bye, Miss Lana! Bye, Miss Kitty! I'll make sure to tell the princess you said hi!"

Lana and Midna watched as Agitha skipped merrily towards the castle, though it wasn't long before the white sorceress turned to the Twilight Princess to ask her the obvious question. "Midna, I don't understand. What's going on? What is this plan of yours?"

"Come on, Lana," Midna said with an impish laugh as she began to glide towards the eastern hills, hoping that the second, even more important part of her plan awaited not too far away. "If I just outright told you, where would the fun in that be? Now, come on. We have someone we need to find…"

* * *

"…ome… ink…"

"Are… ure… to?"

"…course… I'm sure! How… know… home?!"

"…"

"Only question… How did we… here?"

"I have no idea…"

Impa's senses returned to her in slow waves, her hearing being only the second slowest to movement as her eyes gradually lidded open. She felt as though she had both been sleeping for ages and yet had not slept in years as she awakened, and her pounding head and still very-present battle wounds not helping. Partially cloudy blue skies greeted her vision as she simply lay on the grassy ground beneath her, her mind still clearing from unconsciousness. True cognizance only truly returned to her as she happened to overhear the continuation of the conversation that had roused her, the familiar voices coming from not too far away.

"I'll bet you anything that this was that witch's doing!" Ruto. Impa recognized the haughty impatience of her voice instantly, even before she slowly turned her head to the right. "Nayru only knows what she did with everyone else!"

"Aw, I'm sure they're around here somewhere, Sister Ruto!" Darunia assured her, though the concern on his expression was clear. "I mean, it can't just be the three of us here, right?"

"Let's hope not…" Ruto said sourly as she crossed her arms. "Oh!" she exclaimed a moment later upon realizing that the Sheikah guardian was gradually sitting up in the grass nearby. "Impa! You're finally awake! Are you alright?"

"Yes…" Impa said tiredly, rubbing the back of her head as she glanced around at the surrounding area. For a moment, she was surprised by the possibility that they were somehow out in Hyrule Field, but she was quick to gather that something wasn't right. While this place was certainly familiar, it was significantly different as well, especially as the Sheikah guardian looked to the north to see a continuous cloud of darkness hovering in the skies there. "Where are we?"

"Well…" Darunia began, his tone not entirely certain as he glanced around as well as he helped Impa to her feet. "We _think_ we somehow ended up back in the Hyrule of our time… But… we're not sure how or why…"

"What?" Impa asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. Mere moments ago, she had been standing alongside Zelda in battle, and as her memories came rushing back to her, the last few, highly dramatic moments before she somehow fell unconscious. Cia appearing and taunting the princess. Zelda's sheer grief and desperation upon seeing that the black witch had successfully captured Link. And then… nothing. Nothing until she awakened here, in the past. In the Era of the Hero of Time.

"We're back home!" Ruto said with a half-smile. "Well… home for me and Darunia at least… We're honestly just as confused as you are. We _were _fighting the witches forces, and all of the sudden, we woke up here, right out of the blue! It's downright ridiculous if you ask me!"

"Where is everyone else?" Impa asked, wanting to get a read on their situation as quickly as possible. Her manner was serious and cold as ever as she glanced around the field, seeing that the surrounding area was barren and empty.

"Er… Well… we're not… exactly sure…" the Goron patriarch said rather awkwardly. "We checked around for them a little before you woke up, Sister Impa, but we couldn't find anyone else. Looks like we're the only ones here."

The Sheikah guardian's fists clenched tightly upon hearing this, only one thought alone filling her mind as she tried her best to remain as calm as possible before her allies. "Princess Zelda…" she muttered to herself bitterly, knowing very well that this was the second time she had lost her in a matter of months. And all at once, all of this made sense.

"Cia did this," Impa said, her tone harsh and angry as she marched ahead of her allies. "I'm sure of it. I don't know how, but she separated all of us, probably all across Hyrule's history. And I do know why: she captured Link."

"What?!" both Ruto and Darunia exclaimed in worried unison.

"That foolish _boy, _he… he brought this on himself!" the Sheikah guardian scowled bitterly, her temper getting the better of her. "And on all of us! If it wasn't for his stubborn callousness, then we would all still be at the Temple of Souls instead of scattered to the winds of time! Cia separated all of us, and chances are she probably trapped us here too, just so she could be… alone with him. Goddesses, the next time I see that boy, I'll-"

"Impa, wait!" Ruto exclaimed, finally halting Impa's enraged rant. "Do you really think everyone is in different time periods?"

"I'm positive," the Sheikah guardian said pointedly, still fuming over what the hero had indirectly done to set them all back like this. "That's the only explanation that makes sense. It would be to Cia's advantage to split us all up as much as possible."

"Well, then, we just gotta find everyone and save Brother Link!" Darunia encouraged optimistically. "I mean, it can't be too hard, right?"

"Easier said than done," Impa said with a huffy sigh. "As far as I know, we have no way of finding them. They could be anywhere at all in time for all we know, and we don't even know how to get out of this time period ourselves. We're stranded."

Both Darunia and Ruto were silent for a long time as Impa turned away from them to face the darkness afar in the distant sky. The Sheikah guardian crossed her arms as she frowned, wondering where in the world, or more specifically, in _time _Zelda could be. Of course, while rescuing the hero was certainly important, Impa found herself more concerned with the princess's wellbeing than his. After all, _he _was the one who had gotten into this trouble, it was _his _fault that he had fallen into Cia's grip. Zelda was an innocent in all of it; she had only wanted to protect him for some reason, even if he refused to accept her aid, or anyone else's for that matter. As far as the Sheikah guardian was concerned, Link deserved to be humbled in such a way. And so, Impa knew that her main priority, once again, was to find her young charge, ensure her safety and protect her from Cia's wrath no matter what the cost.

"Oh!" Ruto suddenly exclaimed as a sudden thought struck her, catching the attention of both the Sheikah guardian and the Goron patriarch. "I think I have an idea!"

"What is it, sister?" Darunia asked curiously.

"Darunia, we need to find Link!" the Zora princess said with a bright smile.

"Uh… that's kind of impossible right now, Sister Ruto…" the Goron patriarch frowned.

"Of course we need to find him," Impa said, even if saving Link was not at the top of her task list at the moment. "I thought that was obvious."

"No, not _your _Link," Ruto shook her head with small laugh. "Well, I mean—of course we need to find him too, but—I was talking about _our _Link."

"The Hero of Time?" Impa raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! I'm sure he'd be able to help us!"

"How, exactly?" the Sheikah guardian asked, not sure if they needed to drag another young hero into this situation.

"Well, he _is _the Hero of Time," Darunia chimed in, agreeing with Ruto's idea. "He probably knows something about time travel, right?"

"Perhaps…" Impa mused, really ready to try anything at this point. "But… for all we know, he could be anywhere in this land! We'll have to search for days in order to-"

"Actually, based on how he only awaked me as the Water Sage a few days ago, I'd say he's probably on his way to awaken the Sage of Spirit now," Ruto interjected thoughtfully. "Which means he's heading to Gerudo Desert. Of course, that's just a hunch, but I believe in it fairly strongly."

"The desert?" the Sheikah guardian repeated. "You're certain?"

"Hey, it's worth a shot!" Darunia said heartily. "And if we wanna find him, we should probably go now. It'll take a while to get there from here."

Impa took in a deep breath as she steeled herself for this resolve, knowing that even if it was a rather flighty plan, it was a plan nonetheless. After all, she was willing to do anything at all that would help her find the princess. "Alright," she said with finality, turning towards the west, where the dry lands of the desert awaited. "Let's go then. Hopefully you both are right; at this point, the Hero of Time is the only chance we have…"

* * *

Zelda's eyes snapped open to the nightmarish landscape of the Temple of Souls, the sounds of the sultry, wicked laughter of the black witch immediately hitting her ears. The princess sucked in a gagging gasp at the scent that seemed to be laced in the dry, acrid air, a scent that she knew all too well: blood. Immediately, she checked herself over for any signs of injury, but she found none. So instead, she glanced over the area around her to find a startling sight.

A trail of blood was staining the tiled floor before her, leading into the central chamber of the temple. All of Zelda's instincts were screaming at her not to follow it, but her heart was telling her that she had to, for she had a good idea as to who was waiting at the end of it.

The princess was horrified upon entering the main chamber, even though she honestly should have expected that Cia would have decorated her hall with a mass amount of portraits of the hero. But as much as that revelation disturbed her, she only had a moment to focus on it as her attention was immediately drawn to the figure lying listlessly on the other side of the room.

"Link!" Zelda shouted with concern, not wasting her time in rushing over to him. However, right before she could reach him, she suddenly collided with what could only be an invisible wall standing between the two of them. She let out a sharp cry as she was roughly sent back several feet, pain reverberating through her body.

Once the princess had regathered her bearings, she immediately turned back to Link, only to find that he was somehow standing and facing towards her, though Zelda instantly knew something was wrong. Even though the blood trail had led straight to him, he seemed to be uninjured, but his wore a blank, hallow, almost lifeless expression, his mouth agape and his usually brilliant blue eyes dull and dim. He didn't look at her at all, nor did he really seem to look at anything at all as his arms hung limply at his sides and his posture was lose and vulnerable. For a long moment, Zelda simply stared at him in worried confusion, though she was quick to shake herself out of it and face the matter head on.

"Link? What are-" Zelda's question was cut off by that same treacherous laughter from before, laughter she now recognized as Cia's. The princess instinctually took a small step back as she reached for her rapier, only to find that it was missing from its usual place at her side. Not that it mattered anyway considering she was still completely blocked off from reaching the other side of the room where the hero was.

"Greetings, princess," the black witch taunted coyly as she materialized out of thin air right beside Link. The hero still showed no signs of a reaction, even as Cia draped her arm around his shoulder as though he belonged to her. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Cia!" Zelda shouted angrily, clenching her fists tightly as she glared at her enemy. "Let him go! _Now_!"

"Oh, but why should I?" Cia asked mockingly as she drew herself even closer to Link. "Because _you're _going to stop me?"

"Yes," the princess said boldly, determined not to back down from the black witch this time.

Cia let out an amused laugh at this, obviously not taking her seriously. "You and what army?"

Instead of sending a retort flying back, Zelda actually did take a glance behind her to see if any of her allies or soldiers were en route to stand with her. But as she could tell from all four of the chamber's open doors, there was not a sign of anyone, her soldiers or Cia's. She was alone.

"I can take you on my own," the princess proclaimed bravely, even if she knew she was in really no position to do so without a weapon.

"I'd _love _to see you try," the black witch rolled her eyes in dry sarcasm. Her sinister grin widened as she leaned in close to the hero and gave him a torturously long, drawn-out kiss on the cheek, even if he didn't so much as shudder in response to it. A biting heat coursed through Zelda as she glared daggers at the witch, wanting nothing more than to rip her to shreds for so much as touching the hero.

"_Stop _it!" the princess shouted harshly, banging a fist against the barrier that separated her from the hero and the black witch. "I don't know what you did to him, but you _can't _force him into loving you and you never will!"

"Watch me," Cia said with a cold grin as she took Link's face into her hands, stroking his cheek gently for a moment or two before finally pulling him into a full-on kiss. Zelda gasped in disgust as she was forced to watch this appalling display, noticing that the hero was still doing nothing to resist the black witch's advances. She could only guess that Cia had him under some sort of spell, but a small part of her feared that, perhaps, he was allowing this to happen willingly. That he was accepting the black witch's romancing because she had failed him, because she had let him dive head first into a battle that he had no hopes of winning. Because she had let him fall into the hands of the enemy.

"_Link_!" Zelda practically screamed as she pounded against the barrier harder than ever, desperate to rip the black witch away from the hero.

"Now, now, princess," Cia said with a lustful grin as she briefly pulled herself away from Link, even though she still clung onto him closely. "It's not polite to interrupt a kiss between _true _lovers…"

The princess was seething up seeing this, blind rage filling her until she saw red. Not even caring about the barrier, Zelda lurched forward, throwing all of her weight against the invisible wall until it somehow shattered completely. Letting lose a fierce battle cry, the princess rushed towards the black witch and the hero, ready to use her fists alone as weapons if she had to, even as they continued to passionately kiss. However, before she could reach them, a sudden flash of light blinded her, bringing her to a screeching halt as she tried to clear her vision. Yet, in the seconds before sight returned to her, an incredibly strong burst of pain ran through her chest, accompanied by a wet warmth that she knew to be blood. _Her _blood.

Zelda was already screaming in agony before her vision cleared, but when it did, her scream only turned into a ragged sob. Cia had disappeared, and there was practically no distance between her and Link at all. And yet, the hero's cold expression had finally shifted into a dark glare as he met her tearful eyes, his arm not moving at all as it held onto the sword that had been stabbed cleanly through her chest.

"L-Link…" Zelda choked weakly, her heart breaking as the pain only seemed to increase tenfold upon seeing that Link himself had done this to her. "Why…?"

"Because he's not _your _hero anymore, Zelda," Cia laughed darkly as she returned once more, standing over Link as she gripped his shoulders tightly, claiming him as her own. The princess only barely heard the black witch's last statement as she began to fall backwards away from the hero's sword, darkness flooding her vision amidst the immense physical and emotional agony she was feeling. "He's _mine_…"

* * *

"…Princess Zelda…"

A familiar, monotonous voice was the first thing Zelda heard upon awakening, but she had no time to take it in as she darted upright, a fearful gasp escaping her as her eyes flew open. Her heart was still pounding, but she found that she wasn't actually in that much pain aside from the minor wounds she had sustained in battle earlier. Upon glancing down at her chest, she saw that it was clear of blood, no signs of the fatal stab wound she had received in what she could only guess was a dream. Or rather, a nightmare.

Zelda was still breathing rather heavily as she steadied herself in a sitting position, but before she had a chance to glance around at her surroundings, a bright blue ball bounced into her immediate field of vision. Proxi beat her wings together excitedly as she exclaimed something in the mysterious language of the fairies that the princess could not understand. Thankfully, someone else was nearby who immediately helped translate.

"Yes, the princess has awakened," Fi said to the fairy as she hovered not too far away from Zelda, her expression as emotionless as ever. "And according to my scans, I can detect that she is fortunately uninjured."

"Fi?" Zelda asked in confusion as she looked over to the sword spirit before finally catching sight of their new surroundings. From what she could guess, they were in a wide, deep pit, as could be told from the earthen walls spiraling in a path upwards, a cloudy blue sky high above them with the sun positioned almost directly overhead. The princess frowned as she felt a small, inkling aura of darkness coming from the bottom of the pit where the three of them were, but she passed it off in favor of learning more about their location instead. "What happened? Where are we? Why aren't we at the Temple of Souls anymore?"

"Be at ease, your highness," Fi began respectfully. "And allow me to explain. According to my calculations, I can concur that we are no longer in the Temple of Souls, nor are we even in your time period any longer. Instead, it seems as though we have been transported back in time, most likely by Cia's magic. I can affirm that there is a 95% chance that we are now in the age that I originated from, the era of the goddess Hylia."

"What?!" Zelda exclaimed in dismay. "But that means… we're thousands of years in the past! Where's everyone else?"

"I am not entirely certain…" Fi reported. "I have scanned the area several times and have found no readings of any of our allies. There is a large likelihood that they might not be in this time period at all."

"Of course," Zelda said with a bitter sigh as she rose to stand. "Cia _would _separate all of us… Just so she could be alone with…" The princess clenched her fists tightly as she trailed off, remembering her nightmare and all that had happened within it. Being sent away from the temple was confirmation enough that Link really had been captured by Cia and was now in her grasp, with no one to save him from her if Zelda's suspicions were correct and everyone else had been expelled from the temple as well. Yet regardless of how tarnished her last encounter with Link had been, Zelda was still determined to rescue him before it was too late. After all, she knew that he had driven himself to such extremes for her sake, which meant that the full responsibility for whatever happened to him lied on her. And she wasn't about to stand by and watch as Cia wrongfully attempted to claim the hero as his own. "We have to get back," she said with resolve to the only two allies that were still with her, viewing their current situation as but a setback, a hurdle they needed to overcome in order to reach their ultimate goal of aiding the captured hero. "Before she does… anything…"

"I agree," Fi nodded. "But it may not be as simple as we would hope. According to my scans, the time stream has been closed by powerful magic, meaning that there are very few options available to us for traversing it back to the present."

"I don't care!" Zelda said firmly, disregarding the challenge presented. "We _have _to find a way back to the present as soon as possible! I refuse to let Cia try and make Link hers!"

"I understand that you are concerned for Master Link's wellbeing," the sword spirit said after Proxi interjected her own concerns for her companion. "But I would advise that this problem should be addressed with rationality rather than emotion."

"Well do _you _have any idea about what to do?" the princess asked rather harshly as she began to pace around in worry, her stress showing itself clearly.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Fi said as calm as ever. "I would recommend locating my first Master, the Chose Hero of the Goddess Hylia, otherwise known as the Hero of the Skies."

Proxi made a clearly confused comment at this as Zelda simply gave the sword spirit a bewildered glance. "The Hero of the Skies?" she asked as she paused in her pacing. "What can he do to help?"

"The power of the Master Sword will be needed to reopen the flow of time," the sword spirit explained eloquently. "However, even though I am the spirit of the blade that will become the Master Sword, I do not hold such power myself. My very presence in this point in time after the completion of my Master's journey is an anomaly caused by the black witch. And so, we need to find my Master, the Hero of the Skies, who is the only one capable of drawing it from its place in the Sealed Temple."

"Alright…" Zelda said, only partially certain of this plan, even despite Fi's thorough explanation. "Then I guess we should find him… But… where would he be?"

Fi was silent for a moment as she gathered information through another one of her scans before providing a prompt report of her findings. "He is currently in Faron Woods, not too far away from our current location. I can also report that he is accompanied by the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, who, as you might know, princess, is your ancient ancestor."

"Oh," the princess was somewhat surprised by this, even if she had heard legends about her family originating from an ancient goddess. But the fact that she was about to meet her herself was somewhat exciting, if not intimidating, to say the least. "So… are we just going to find them and ask them for help then?"

"I believe you will be able to come up with a proper plan of action upon meeting them," Fi said. "However, I would recommend avoiding going by your actual title and name when we encounter them. Neither of them are aware that this land will eventually become a monarchy, and even more than that, you and her grace share the same name."

"Well, I understand how that would cause some confusion…" Zelda said with a small smile of amusement, her first one since Link had been captured. "But don't worry; I think I know of a way to avoid that." The princess closed her eyes as she held her hand up, the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom shimmering upon it. Her transformative magic swirled around her as her regal battle gown dissipated in favor of rugged Sheikah battle armor, her long hair twisting itself in to a golden braid and her eyes shifting from blue to crimson. Her bangs and face coverings shielded her true identity well as the magic faded from her, leaving a Sheikah warrior in the place of where the princess had once been.

Proxi let out an exclamation that, while still in the language of the fairies, could clearly be read as surprise at Sheik's return. Indeed, the newly revived Sheikah warrior looked over herself as she opened her eyes, seeing that her disguise still held up as well as it had before. The princes herself couldn't deny that it felt good to be Sheik once more; it felt as though the pressures of being Zelda had been lightened at least, though not removed from her entirely. After all, she still felt incredibly guilty for what had happened to Link, and she was still just as resolved as ever to save him, regardless of whether she was Zelda or Sheik.

Fi showed no signs of surprise at the princess's transformation, but simply nodded in acceptance with her plan. "Very well then," she said simply as she began to glide forward, preparing to lead the way out of the pit. "Let us depart with haste."

"Yes…" Zelda—_Sheik_—said with finality as she began to follow. However, she stopped short as she looked up to the skies above, feeling the soft warmth of the wind blow through her face coverings as she closed her eyes and pictured the hero. She prayed with every fiber of her being that Cia would not harm him, even if that wasn't really what she was afraid of. What she was really afraid of was what her nightmare had implied, that the black witch would somehow find a way to turn him to her side, to make him love her against his will. The princess couldn't deny the spark of hot jealousy and burning anger that ran through her upon even thinking this. The very thought of Link accepting Cia's "love" willingly made her sick. And Zelda knew that if she didn't hurry and find a way back to the present to rescue him, then that would certainly be the fate he would meet. "Don't worry, Link…" she whispered softly to herself, hoping that somehow, someway, the captured hero would hear her even across the ages. "We'll save you… I promise…"

* * *

**Ok so yeah, everyone is all separated across time! I thought it would be something of a fun twist, plus a neat way for me to bring in some certain other characters that you've probably already guessed will be coming in soon! But not next time! Next time, we're going to focus on what's going down with Link and Cia, and we might also see another appearance by a certain evil Gerudo... ;) And I can't wait for it! Hopefully it won't take me so long to get out! Now for the chapter question: How do you guys feel about the Amiibo incorporation in HW? I feel like it could have been integrated a lot more, like instead of bringing in just reused weapons or rupees, they could provide costumes for certain characters, or more! But that's just me. Let me know what you think in the REVIEWS! Until next time (and HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you all have a great 2016!)**


	25. Captured Darkness

_Ohhhhh boy... I haven't written for this story since December... Yikes... I am SO sorry you guys! I meant to work on this, but time got away from me and I only really decided to pick it up again after playing a whole bunch of Hyrule Warriors Legends (which is GREAT by the way! but more on that later!) Anyway, I have to say I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter. It ties up some lose ends and opens up a few new ones... ;) Plus, it also indulges my guilty pleasure of shipping Link and Cia, so there's that. But don't worry. I'm saving the sin for an upcoming chapter... But anyway, I won't keep you too long here. Let's get started!_

* * *

_Chapter 24: Captured Darkness_

Even before she had begun her conquest of Hyrule, Cia had a special spot in the center of her treasured garden, a place that was, oddly enough, not devoted to either her magical roses or her many statues of the hero's past lives. She had kept this area, surrounded by finely-trimmed shrubs and delicate red and blue roses, barren with a very specific intent in mind, an intent that was finally being fulfilled, much to the black witch's immense pleasure. For in this once empty space was now occupied with the black witch's ultimate prize, her constant goal, her sole desire.

The Hero of Hyrule himself.

Cia grinned lustfully to herself as she stood before her captive, never tiring of admiring him, especially now that he belonged to her. His prone, unconscious form hung in the heart of her garden, suspended a foot or two above the ground by the strong thorny vines the black witch had conjured to tightly curl around his arms and legs. Despite the fact that he was currently dead to the world, he was completely at her mercy, and admittedly she had as much mercy for him as she did love. It had taken everything in Cia's power to keep herself from rushing to him and fulfilling her desires the moment she had apprehended him, but she knew that she had to be patient if her plans were ever going to truly work. After all, she had waited for him this long; she could stand to wait just a little longer if it meant she could have him forever.

Yet even despite her restraint, she still found herself drawn towards him, her heart swelling with affection and longing as she cupped the side of his face, relishing every moment of physical contact she had with him. "Oh… my love…" she sighed contentedly. Somehow, he was still just as impossibly handsome unconscious as he was when he was awake, a fact that confounded even the black witch herself. "My hero… You have no idea how long I have been dreaming of this moment… Of the day we could finally be together… With no one standing in our way… And at last, it has come. You may not be able to hear me right now, darling, but when you awaken, then the magic and _romance _can truly begin…"

"So _that's _what we're waiting for? For the dumb kid to _wake up_?"

Cia's gentle smile turned into a cross scowl as she spun around to see Volga and Wizzro emerge into the garden behind her. She had half a mind to obliterate them both on the spot for ruining her romantic moment with Link, but she knew that would hardly do her any good. Unfortunately for her, she still needed to keep her two dim-witted minions around, just in case things happened to go awry, which she highly doubted they would. "And _what _do you two idiots want?" she asked bitterly, stepping away from the hero just a bit to maintain her sense of authority.

"We were wondering what's next, of course," Volga said, crossing his arms as he glowered at the black witch. "You have your precious 'hero'. By all accounts, we won. What else is there that needs to be done?"

"Oh Volga, darling, this is far from the end," Cia laughed nonchalantly. "Even if I do finally have my beloved Link, there's still the matter of Hyrule at large. I may have sent Zelda, Lana, and all of their foolish allies away, yes, but simply banishing your enemies does not an empire make. But subjugating the people of Hyrule to my rule will come soon enough; for now, there are much more… immediate matters at hand."

Both the dragon knight and the dark wizard suppressed aggravated groans as the black witch cast a sultry glance back at the listless hero, still as dead to the world as he had been since his capture. "And what do you intend on doing with him?" Wizzro inquired boredly. "He's probably not gonna fall head over heels for you just because you captured him, you know."

Cia shot the dark wizard a warning glare, but let his sarcasm lie for now. "I am well aware of that," she retorted harshly. "Which is why I'm already taking care of that even while we speak. I realize that Link might be a bit… volatile when he wakes up, but his anger and confusion won't last very long if I have anything to do with it."

"S-so what do you intend to do?" Volga asked a bit too forcefully. The slightest hint of jealousy in the dragon knight's tone, while ignored by the love-struck black witch, did not go unnoticed by the dark wizard, who simply chuckled in amusement to himself. "Use magic to bind him to your will?"

"If that's what it takes. I've spent too many years chasing this dream, and now that it's finally in my grasp, I won't let it escape me. Link _will _love me, and only me! Even if I have to… persuade him a little first."

Wizzro found it almost impossible to hold back a teasing laugh as he caught onto the sound of a low, somewhat feral growl beside him, clearly coming from Volga. The dragon knight had slightly restless and on edge ever since Cia had announced her successful capture of the hero. But now, in light of the black with announcing her plans like this, his growing frustration was as plain as day, to the point that even to Cia herself.

"What in Din's name are you growling about?" she asked him with a skeptical frown, though it soon bubbled into sudden worry. "Wait. Don't tell me you sense the princess or any of her foolish troops, do you? They couldn't possibly have returned! The spell I cast on the time stream was certainly strong enough to-"

"Calm down, mistress," Wizzro laughed mockingly. His smug grin widened as he stole a glance at Volga to see that his clawed hands were curled up into tight fists, and his sharp teeth were barred as he cast a hateful glare past the black witch towards the comatose hero. "Volga's just a little… hot under the collar, if you catch my drift."

Cia, in fact, did not as she frowned in confusion towards the dragon knight, her expression nowhere near as hostile as it could have been. "Volga?"

Before the black witch could press on, the dragon knight had already lashed his claws out at the cackling dark wizard in anger, flames beginning to pour from his mouth as he seethed with fury. "Shut your mouth, you insolent imbecile!" he scolded hotly, his rage boiling even more as Wizzro dodged his sudden attack. "You speak of things you know nothing about!"

"Then what _does _he speak of, Volga?" Cia interjected, her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at her general. "Because if it concerns me, thenI'd simply _love _to hear it."

"Yeah, Volga," Wizzro goaded, floating just out of Volga's range to avoid being burned to a crisp. "Why don't you fill Mistress Cia in on what has you _burning up _like this!"

By now, the dragon knight was beyond livid with the dark wizard, to the point that he had already resolved to rip the pathetic specter to sherds as soon as he could get his claws on him. Yet even despite his clear fury, he wasn't about to breathe a word of what Wizzro was alluding to in Cia's presence, especially with the hero, even as unconscious as he was, hanging only a few feet behind her. "I-it's nothing, Mistress Cia," Volga said quickly, nodding his head in respect to the unamused black with. "Just the insane ramblings of an old fool. Nothing that you need to concern yourself with during your hour of victory."

"Hm… yes…" Cia mused, not entirely convinced, though thankfully she let the matter pass as she turned towards Link once more. "Well, I have no further use for either of you at the moment, and so as our troops reserve their magic and strength, I recommend you both do the same. You may take your leave and do what you please, but remember. If _either _of you so much as tries to interrupt me and my hero at any point, I will make sure that foolish attempt will be your last. Am I quite understood?"

"Yes, Mistress Cia," Volga and Wizzro assented in unison, though the dragon knight did so with a hint of clear disappointment in his tone.

"Good," Cia nodded in satisfaction. "Now, leave me and my hero to-" The black witch's breath suddenly caught in her throat, her eyes growing wide as she felt a familiar, overpowering presence that nearly made her heart stop with fear. Though she knew it was impossible, it was certainly there, and it was drawing ever nearer with each passing second, much to her immense alarm. "Volga, Wizzro!" Cia shouted as she spun around, the terror in her voice undeniable as the dark presence began to rush closer all at once. "Bar the palace gates! _Now!_"

Before the bewildered dragon knight or dark wizard could even comprehend their mistress's sudden command, darkness exploded into the garden, incapacitating the black witch's generals instantly. Cia gasped in shock as Volga and Wizzro were both thrown aside by the force of the wicked magic that had dared to intrude upon her home. She was quick to summon her scepter as the dust began to clear, ready to stand against this threat once again, though she was surprised to find there was no one standing before her at all. Or so she thought.

"So… _this _is the legendary 'hero' of this age?" the deep voice that Cia had dreaded finally spoke up from behind her, his question posed with something of a sarcastic scoff. The black witch clung onto her scepter for dear life as she spun on her heel to find a sight that nearly made her faint with horror. Standing between her and Link was none other than Ganondorf himself, his back turned to her as he observed the unconscious hero with scrutiny. "He's certainly rather underwhelming if he allowed himself to be captured by _you_…"

"Get away from him!" Cia practically screamed with raw fury, dark magic already swirling around her scepter as she prepared to let it fly. "And leave my palace at once! You are _not _welcome here!"

"Calm yourself, Cia," Ganondorf chuckled smugly as he turned to face her. Cia cringed in revulsion and hatred as the Gerudo king smirked wickedly at her. She knew that the seal she had placed on him wouldn't hold forever, but she didn't think it would break so soon. The black witch knew that trying to seal him away again would be quite difficult, especially since she could sense that his power was steadily restoring itself. If he managed to get his hands on the Triforce of Power, then he would truly be unstoppable. "I have no intentions of harming your precious hero… yet."

"They why are you here?" Cia asked with wary suspicion. "You should know well by now that I will _never _relinquish the Triforce of Power to you, you despicable, treacherous, miserable _thief_!"

Ganondorf's expression darkened upon hearing this, and though he took a bold step forward, Cia refused to shrink away from him. She was determined to show no fear in the face of her enemy whatsoever. "You foolish, deluded little child," the Gerudo king mocked darkly. "Do you honestly think you can protect the Triforce from me? That you can protect your prized hero from me?"

"Yes," Cia replied rigidly, practically shaking with rage by this point. "I will do whatever I must to keep them both out of your murderous hands. You have never won this struggle before, and you _certainly _won't win it this time!"

"So you'd like to believe…" Ganondorf mused, still scowling down at the black witch. "But you have increased my chances, Cia. I have that much to owe you, despite your earlier insubordination."

"What in Nayru's name are you talking about?"

"Well, you did manage to dispose of the princess, as well as a good portion of her army. At least now I won't have to deal with them once you and the hero are out of the way."

"Please," Cia scoffed with disgust. "I only got rid of them for my own sake. And besides, even if you do somehow manage to conquer me, which you _won't_, then you'll still be one piece of the Triforce short without the princess. So clearly, your aspirations are not progressing as much as you thought. Unlike you, I have everything I've ever wanted and then some. You have _nothing_."

"Confident, aren't we?" the Gerudo king asked with a knowing smirk. "I hate to break it to you, but I have more thank you might think. Namely, a plan, and even without the Triforce of Power, I still have enough strength to defeat the likes of _him_…"

Ganondorf let out a smug laugh as he stepped aside a bit, unblocking Cia's view of her captured hero. The black witch surprised a frightened gasp upon hearing this, her heart sinking as she realized this was true. Though his power was fractured, Ganondorf was still not a threat to be taken lightly. His might and magic were to be feared, even despite the slight advantage Cia had over him at the moment. But Link… Well, it was true he had the Triforce of Courage, but in the weakened state he was currently in, there was no way he could survive going toe-to-toe with Ganondorf. And, as much as the black witch hated to admit it, it was all her fault.

"You wouldn't dare…" Cia hissed, her scepter glowing with power as she stepped forward. Ganondorf smirked at her boldness, returning it with a show of boldness all his own. The black witch's heart nearly stopped as a huge, deadly, blackened blade materialized in his hand, his arm outstretched so that its edge hovered over the unconscious hero's neck by just a few inches. Cia's mind and body froze upon seeing this, dread and horror filling her to the point that it practically made her ill.

Seeing that the black witch was at a loss for words, the Gerudo king spoke up, looking towards the hero with triumph over how the tables had turned. "I would dare," he said simply, his tone calm and collected. "Just think, Cia; one small flick of the wrist would be all it would take to snuff the life of the one you hold so dear out. And honestly, I don't see why I shouldn't just do it right here and now. It would save me a great deal of headaches later on, and besides, he wouldn't even feel a thing. Unlike all of the heroes of the past who have been made to suffer by my blade…"

Cia felt her fear steadily being replaced with fury as she found words once more, all of her hatred towards her foe fueling her more than magic ever could. "Leave him alone!" she practically screamed. "He has no part in this!"

"I'd say he has a rather large part in this," Ganondorf corrected. "After all, he has something that both of us want."

The black witch assumed that the Gerudo king was speaking about the Triforce of Courage, but she hardly cared. Her only concern at the moment was getting Link as far away from the deadly edge of Ganondorf's blade as possible. "I swear to the goddesses, if you don't lower your sword away from him _this instant_, I will make you endure more agony than any hero ever has!"

"Go ahead then," Ganondorf simply laughed with little concern. "But before you even have a chance to harm me, your darling hero will already be dead. And his blood will be entirely on your hands."

"You're bluffing," Cia remarked coldly, hiding the hint of fear in her voice well. After all, Ganondorf wouldn't kill Link without taking the Triforce of Courage first. Right?

"I don't bluff," the Gerudo king said seriously, pressing his blade just a bit closer to the hero, to the point that it was now lightly skimming his neck.

By this point, Cia was clutching her scepter so tightly that her knuckles were white. She didn't know what game Ganondorf was playing exactly, but she knew it was a dangerous one, one that could cost her Link's life if she didn't play it correctly. It was true that she had the power to take the Gerudo king out then and there, but as long as he was posited to murder the hero like he was, then her hands were tied. She was trapped, hopeless. The only thing she could do now was play his twisted game.

"…What do you want then?" she asked warily, not showing any signs of accepting his sick demands.

Ganondorf grinned darkly, knowing that his plan was working perfectly, though he still didn't lower his blade. "You know what I want."

The black witch shook her head, her resolve just as firm as ever. "I told you," she said firmly. "I will _never _let the Triforce of Power fall into your hands _ever _again."

"Very well then," the Gerudo king said with little disappointment as he glanced over at the hero. "I'll just take him instead."

"W-what?!" Cia exclaimed, completely taken aback by this sudden demand. Her racing thoughts all came to a screeching halt as she looked at Link herself, her heart racing with worry and confusion as to what the Gerudo king could possibly want with him. As far as she knew, the only thing that Ganondorf could possibly be striving towards was the hero's demise. And if that was what he wanted, then the black witch would do everything in her power to keep that from happening. "You can't honestly think I would just let you kill him, you twisted fool!"

"Please, Cia, I'm not as barbaric as I used to be," Ganondorf scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I've tried to kill the hero many times before, but no matter how many might fall, a new one will always rise up to take his place. You know as well as I do that's how it always has been and that's how it always will be. But as many heroes rise with the passing of the ages, so too do I rise again, so that we can endure this pointless struggle time and time again. And for what? Neither I nor the hero truly wins in the end, do we?" He paused for a moment, gaging Cia's confused reaction before pressing for an answer yet again. "Well, do we?!"

"N-no," the black witch stammered anxiously, unsure of where he was going with this. Yet despite her bewilderment, she knew the truth. After all, how could one not know after watching the same battle unfold over countless generations? "Neither of you win…"

"Exactly," Ganondorf affirmed rather bitterly. "But the last hero, his predecessor, thought he won. He thought that, by splitting my spirit in four and sealing them away across time, that he had ended this struggle. But like all heroes, he was a weak fool, and little did he know that his hard work was for nothing. For here I am, centuries later, my spirit mostly united and yet another hero at my mercy. Fate is an amazing thing, isn't it?"

"S-so… what you're really after is…" Cia began, though she trailed off at the abhorrent realization.

"Revenge, of course," the Gerudo king finished with a malicious grin. "And not just mere revenge. Any man can kill someone and say they claimed vengeance. No, I want him to suffer just as much as I did when my very soul was _ripped_ apart, piece by piece. His blood is nowhere high enough of a price to pay for the sins of his past lives. The destruction of his _soul _however… _That _will make perfect recompense."

"You… y-you're mad!" Cia exclaimed in heated shock. "Absolutely insane! You cannot destroy the soul of the hero! It is eternal, unbreakable! It can withstand anything you try to do to it and then some!"

"So then, you wouldn't mind if I took him in exchange for you keeping the Triforce of Power then?" Ganondorf asked calmly, knowing he had Cia right where he wanted her.

The black witch took in a sharp breath upon hearing this, her blood running cold. She knew that even if the Gerudo king couldn't completely destroy the spirit of the hero, then he would still do everything in his power to try. The immediate thought that came to Cia's mind was torture, and the thought of Ganondorf doing such a brutal thing to Link, _her _Link, was beyond unbearable.

"Come now, Cia," Ganondorf continued impatiently, his blade still inches away from ending the hero's life. "It's quite a simple choice really: the Triforce of Power, or your hero. You should be glad I'm generous enough to give you such a choice at all, really. As much as I want my revenge, I'm patient enough to let it wait for his next life, you know. So really, it's up to you. But remember, you only get to choose once…"

Cia had barely heard him as she stared at the hero, her mind racing for a solution. To hand Link over to Ganondorf was unthinkable, but so too was giving him the Triforce of Power. With its might, then certainly, he wouldn't hesitate to throw any former offer out the window and slaughter both her and the hero with ease. It would be suicide, on all accounts. And yet, as she kept her gaze on Link, still hanging by her magical vines, a sudden idea occurred to her. An idea that would need more time if it was every going to work.

"You're so eager to make a deal with me?" Cia asked, hiding her returning confidence so that Ganondorf wouldn't get suspicious. "Fine. But let me make a deal with _you_ as well. You can't very well expect me to reach such a daunting ultimatum on the spot, can you? After all, you are asking me to choose between two things that are very important to me. Which is why… I need a little… time to think it over and reach a suitable conclusion."

"How much time?" Ganondorf asked sourly, though he showed no signs of denying nor approving her request.

"Three days is all I need," Cia answered simply. "Then, you can return and claim whatever prize I consent to give you. That certainly sounds fair to me; what about you?"

"I see no reason why I should allot you any time at all," the Gerudo king said stubbornly. "Especially since you tried to foolishly seal me away."

"B-because," Cia began, her mind desperately reaching for something that could save her floundering argument. "I could still bring Zelda and her armies back! They're scattered across time now, yes, but they could return, and as soon as the princess finds out about you, then she'll completely forget about the threat I pose to her kingdom and come after you instead. After all, you've threatened this kingdom more times than anyone can count. At least in her eyes, you would definitely be the greater of two evils. And I _know _that she has helped him defeat you in the past…" The black witch couldn't believe she was using Zelda of all people as a saving excuse, but it seemed to work in her favor as Ganondorf seemed to take this threat seriously. Even he knew that together, the princess and the hero were much more powerful than they were apart.

"Very well," the Gerudo king said bitterly, clearly not amused by how Cia had conned him. "Three days. But that is _all _you get. When I return, you better have reached a decision. Or mark my words: I _will _kill him."

The black witch set her jaw upon hearing this, her resolve burning in her more than ever. And yet, she said nothing as Ganondorf at last left, disappearing from the palace in a burst of dark magic. Overwhelming relief filled Cia as she saw Link be freed from the threat of the Gerudo king's blade, and she didn't hesitate to run to him and throw her arms around his listless form. "My love, I am so sorry…" she whispered tensely into his hear, pressing her hand against the back of his neck firmly yet lovingly. "I gambled your life, but thank the goddesses that I did not lose it… But don't fret… I have no intentions of _ever _losing you or the Triforce… For by the time that _monster _returns, I'll have the perfect weapon on my side to stand against him with: you…"

* * *

The first thing Link was cognizant to as he came out of dreamless unconsciousness was pain. It was a dull, muted, constantly moving sort of pain, but it was present nonetheless. The second thing he noticed, even before he opened his eyes, was stated silence, which was a completely contrast to the clamor of the last thing he remembered, which of course, was the din of battle.

When the hero finally did open his eyes, he did so slowly, with a small groan of pain. His head was throbbing in a warm ache that dulled his senses, and for some reason, his arms and legs felt tight, as if they were being pulled. As he slowly tilted his head towards his arms, he noticed with a sudden inkling of fear that this was indeed the case. His arms and legs appeared to be trapped, thick, dark green vines tightly curling around his limbs as their sharp thorns painfully prickled into his skin. Despite how weak and weary he felt, he gave them an experimental pull, only for his fears to be confirmed; somehow the vines didn't budge at all, but instead pulled him back into place, suspending him a bit higher above the ground as a reminder not to resist.

Link sighed in aggravation at his immobility, quickly realizing that his sword was nowhere in sight. The only good thing about his current situation was that his earlier battle wounds appeared to be healed, but in place of the blood and pain they had given him, he know felt achingly sedated, to the point that his bleary vision was only now clearing enough for him to see where he was. As he had thought, he was still in the Palace of Souls, or in its garden now, to be exact. All around him here high walls of shrubbery and clusters of red and blue roses. Thankfully, he was positioned in a spot in the garden where he didn't have to see any of Cia's statues of his past lives, but that hardly made him feel better. After all, it didn't take him much deduction to know that he had been captured, and that he was now the black witch's prisoner, alone in her twisted palace with his allies nowhere in sight. He wasn't sure if any of them were even still alive, much less in the palace, for certainly, if they were, they would have found him immediately considering the open area he was being kept in.

As much as his muddled mind was already searching for an escape, one thought kept permeating above all the rest. This was all his fault, he knew. The only reason why he had been captured was because of his own reckless boldness, and now he was about to pay the price for it. Link knew well that Cia had no intentions of killing him, but whatever she did want to do to him only made him dread his current situation even more.

"Well, well… Look who's _finally _awakened…" As if on cue, the black witch's sultry voice echoed throughout the garden. Link took in an anxious breath as he tried once more to pull against the vines restraining him, only to no avail. Once again, the daunting realization struck him that he was trapped, bereft of his weapon or his allies, and completely at the mercy of an insane woman who was absolutely obsessed with him. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

It wasn't too much longer before Cia herself appeared before the captive hero in a burst of darkness, both her mask and headdress removed to reveal her beautiful face and short, silver-white locks. Link, however, refused to be taken in by such things as he simply sent her a harsh glare, a complete contrast to the affectionate, triumphant grin she was giving him. "Hello, love…" she purred sweetly. "You can't possibly imagine how happy it makes me to see you here… with me… just the two of us… _together_…"

"No thanks," Link scoffed in annoyance, wanting no part of this twisted romance.

"Hm… Well, I'm sure you'll change your tone after a few days with me, darling…" the black witch said, still smirking easily.

"I don't plan on being here that long," the hero said with rigid resolve. "So you can just forget about whatever it is you plan on doing with me."

"Oh, dear… you don't know?" Cia asked coyly, her grin widening. "Poor thing… You must think that your loyal little allies are coming to rescue you, don't you? Well, I hate to tell you this, dear, but as soon as they found out you were captured, Zelda ordered an immediate retreat."

"W-what?" Link asked, slightly disconcerted at hearing this news.

"That's right. Once the princess found out that you were out of commission, she had the entire army pull out, most likely out of self-preservation. She didn't even try to devise a plan to rescue here. She might as well have just left you here for dead, darling…"

"Y-you're lying," the hero said, trying to convince himself more than anything else. And yet, at the back of his mind, there was a voice telling him to believe what Cia had just told him. It told him that, after the fierce argument they had before the battle, Zelda had no obligations to save him. After all, her priorities rested with her kingdom alone, as she had already well proven. Everything else, including its hero, was just a mere afterthought to her, and because of that, Link realized that rescuing him was most likely the least of Zelda's concerns now.

"If I'm lying, then tell me, Link, where are any of them now?" Cia asked, her tone hardening. "Face it, love: none of them ever really cared for you. They only acted like they did because you are the hero, and in their eyes, that's what makes you important. But you can believe that _I_ don't see you like that. To me, you are so much more than just a mere hero… I've watched you long enough to truly _know_ you… You are courageous, kind, selfless, simply _irresistible_…"

"I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work," Link said astutely, keeping his guard up despite how he had apparently been abandoned by his allies. "Say whatever you want; it's not going to make me fall in love with you. And besides, if you really did love me, then you wouldn't just keep me trapped here like this. You'd let me go."

Cia chuckled warmly at this, taking amusement in his pointless resistance. After all, she was more than confident that she would crush that resistance soon enough. "Oh, Link, I'm afraid it's just not that simple… You see, while I love you from the very depths of my heat, for some odd reason, you refuse to reciprocate that love back to me… Before, the very idea that you would choose someone like _Zelda _over me absolutely infuriated me. But now that she's out of the way and I have you all to myself, I plan on… changing things up a bit…"

"You can't just force me to love you, you know," the hero said coldly, watching warily as the black witch sauntered towards him. "At least not in the way you want me to."

"I'm well aware of that, Link…" Cia patronized, pressing her palm against his cheek, despite his attempts to move his head again. "Which is why I have no intentions of forcing you into anything. I just plan on giving you a gentle… nudge, if you will. In fact, that nudge has already begun to take its course…"

"…What do you mean?" Link asked hesitantly, almost too afraid to find out.

"It's quite simple really…" the black witch explained calmly. "And it all lies in the vines keeping you in place, my dear…"

"The vines?" the hero raised an eyebrow, giving the plant twisted around his arm another small tug.

"But of course! After all, you didn't think I had decided to restrain you by vines just for the sake of mere aesthetic, did you? No, darling, the truth is that those vines are imbued with a special, powerful magic of my own design. I've been preparing them long before I even captured you, to have one sole purpose: to plant the seeds of love for me, and only me, within you…"

Link was initially silent upon hearing this, dread crashing over him like a heavy wave. Even as Cia revealed this information to him, he could feel the vines curl around his limbs just a bit tighter, their thorns biting into him with no reprieve. Already, he was connecting the dull, foreign ache resonating through his bones with whatever twisted poison Cia's magic was pouring into his veins, all for the sake of converting him to her perverse affections. The hero knew that if he didn't escape from this trap soon, this it would most likely overwhelm him, driving away all former common sense and morality and replacing it with a false love for a wicked woman he had sworn to defeat.

"I see you're speechless, dear," Cia laughed. "That's understandable; after all, I'm very excited about all of this myself… To finally get to have you all to myself, to have you willingly love me in return at last… It will be a dream come true…"

Upon hearing how light the black witch was making of his frightening situation, Link's former frustration and nerve returned to him, especially as Cia drew in for a kiss. This time, the hero made sure to dodge her unwanted affections by pulling himself back as much as he could, and thankfully the black witch didn't press him any further as she backed away. "You can't do this to me!" he shouted firmly and angrily, curling his hands into tight fists as he pulled on the vines with as much force as he could muster. "I'll resist it! I'll find a way out of here and I _will _defeat you, with or without anyone's help!"

"Oh yes, because that worked out _so _well for you last time, didn't it?" Cia asked sarcastically, her expression darkening. "Face it, darling; there's no way out of this. Neither your princess nor none of your little allies are coming to save you and I will _ensure _that you will not escape me. One way or another, you _will _love me. Right now, I'm willing to be amicable, but only if you are. Regardless of my affections for you, I won't let them get in my way. You would be wise not to force my hand, Link. Instead, you should be happy that I'm going to let you keep your conscious mind and personality throughout all of this, but know that I could just as easily take those things away from you if you make the foolish choice to try and fight me. I'd very much prefer not to turn you into a mindless puppet, but if that's what it takes to bend your allegiance to me, then I will do what I must. Do I make myself _quite _clear?"

Despite the heavy threats Cia was making, Link refused to respond to them, knowing that he had to remain firm in his resolve, even though the black witch's magic was most likely already acting upon him .But, he theorized, that if he could resist its pull just long enough, then he would be able to find an escape the moment Cia slipped up, which would hopefully be sooner than later.

"I said… Do I make myself _clear_?!" Cia growled bitterly, her violet-red eyes practically alight with angry, passionate fire. Link let out a startled gasp as the vines around his arms and legs lengthened, crawling up his thighs and down his shoulders as their thorns cut into him deeply all the while. Pain surged through his entire body as the vines converged around his torso, snaking themselves around his chest tightly as their tips lightly curled up to his neck, though thankfully they didn't spin themselves around it. The hero bit back a cry of agony as he hung his head, his mind former resistance dying out as his mind went numb from the pain. Cia simply frowned at him with little pity as she stepped towards him again, gently placing a hand under his chin and forcing his gaze up to her once more. "Allow me to remind you one more time, in case you've forgotten," the black witch began, her tone icy and unyielding. "You are _mine _now. You belong to _me_. I started a war for you and I will not rest until you submit to me. You _will _love me… regardless of whether you want to or not…"

* * *

Fortunately for Link, Cia had left him alone immediately after that rather intimidating encounter, and she had departed rather sullenly, despite her earlier blatant fury. Needless to say, however, that the hero's opinion on the black witch had only worsened after how she had so brutally threatened him, but even so, he was not afraid of her. What he was afraid of, were the magical vines wrapped around most of his body, slowly and steadily filling him with venom that would no doubt make him lose his mind. The very thought of being forced to love Cia after everything she had done was beyond abhorrent to him, which was why he was determined to find a way out before he was too far gone.

Escape seemed to be his best and only option, even if his mobility was almost completely gone now thanks to the reach of the vines. A small part of him still dared to hope that his allies were out there, planning his rescue or perhaps they were even on their way already. And yet, that small inkling of hope was quickly drowned out by the reminder that they had retreated, that Zelda had merely decided that he was a lost cause and decided to leave him there to suffer in Cia's hands. As much as Link didn't want to believe it, he knew it had to be true. After all, if the black witch had merely killed them all off, then she certainly would have goaded about it, if only to break him down and expedite his fall into her arms. The only logical explanation was that the princess had fled, and instead of rushing to his rescue, she had abandoned him in the hands of their enemy, not even giving the slightest thought to his fate.

_You don't need her anyway, _his thoughts reasoned and he knew it was true. He could find a way out of this on his own. After all, he had fallen into this trap by his own accord; certainly, he could escape it without any help, right? All he really needed to do was get out of these vines and locate the Master Sword, which would make taking Cia out more than easy. And next time, he wouldn't allow himself to fall into such an easy trap as he had before. That is, as soon as he got out of the trap he was currently in.

It was as Link glanced up at the vines clinging to his arms that he realized for the first time that Proxi was no longer with him, which he found admittedly strange. After all, she had been with him throughout the fight against his dark counterparts. Where had she gone since then? _She abandoned you too_, his thoughts replied, though they did so with a tinge of darkness that set the hero on edge. He didn't even have to ask himself these bitter musings were a result of Cia's magic acting upon him. Yet at the same time, it did unnerve him. Chances were, its influence would only become more prominent as the hours wore on, to the point that resisting it would become an incredible feat. If and when he got to that point, how would he be able to tell where his own thoughts ended and the thoughts the vines were pressing upon him began?

Trying his best to remain calm, Link shook his head to clear it, only to find that made him dizzier than he had been before. He was begrudgingly reminded of how physically weak his entire body felt, most likely because of Cia using her magic on him while he was still unconscious so that he wouldn't be able to fight back as easily. He couldn't very well understand why her obsession towards him was so intense and unrelenting. Most people would have just taken no for an answer and moved on, but clearly the black witch was determined to get what she wanted, as she had proved by the destruction she had already caused thus far. Even if her ambitions were perverse, at least her tenacity was to be admired.

Link's train of thought was abruptly broken as a pair of arms suddenly slid themselves around his chest from behind. Even though the hero already knew it was the black witch, he still flinched in surprise anyway, wishing that he could move out of her firm embrace. She had only been gone for about an hour, though Link couldn't be too certain about his estimation of time since the skies overhead were always a consistent shade of clouded violet.

"My love… I… I wanted to… apologize for how I behaved earlier…" Cia whispered tenderly in his ear, regret clear in her tone. "My temper got the better of me and… I said some things I didn't necessarily mean… I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me…"

"Are you serious?" Link asked in disgusted disbelief. "You imprisoned me and are using magical vines to force me to love you and you think I'd actually _forgive _you after all that?! You're crazy!"

The black witch let out a rather morose sigh, releasing the hero from her hold as she came to stand before him. "I didn't expect you to forgive me… After all, you've been through such hardships… I'm surprised you even manage to be as good-humored and upbeat as you are after all you've been through in this lifetime alone."

"Don't pretend like you know me," the hero said distrustingly. "You may have watched my past lives or something like that, but even if you have watched me, you still don't know anything about _me_."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, dear," Cia said easily, still not smiling as she gave him a rather serious, almost empathetic look. "I know that your once-happy childhood was marred by pain and loss. You were forced to witness the brutal massacre of your parents, your entire village, all while you were but a mere child, just an innocent young boy. You've carried the heavy burden of thinking that tragedy was all your fault for so many years, but that couldn't be farther from the truth… You were sought after for the power that you wield, for your heroic spirit, and even still, there are those who would seek to take that away from you by any means necessary…" The black witch's expression darkened as she remembered the heavy threats that Ganondorf had put on the hero's head, knowing that she would do everything in her power to keep them from coming to fruition.

"You mean like how you're trying to make me love you by any means necessary?" Link asked caustically, ignoring everything she had said about his past, despite how it opened up old wounds.

Cia sighed pensively, shaking her head as she frowned at the hero. "Oh, Link… You just don't understand… And how could you, really? For so long, you've been led to believe the lies of a woman who really could care less about whether you live or die so long as her kingdom is safe. You poor thing… Chances are you probably don't even understand what true love even feels like. But I can assure you that I'll show you the most genuine love I can possibly give you."

Link didn't reply immediately to this as he that distant ache flow through his veins once more, especially as he locked eyes with Cia. And yet, instead of a physical pain, now it seemed to be more of a mental one. Though he was almost certain it was her magic working on his mind, for the first time ever, her gentle words of flattery and affection seemed to be almost enticing, and that wasn't all. Words left him as he found himself surveying her slender, graceful, beautiful form, amazed at how he had never noticed the perfect curve of her hips, the warm, caramel tan of her skin, the picturesque, smooth shape of her breasts…

The hero immediately glanced away from the black witch the moment such lewd thoughts entered his mind, his cheeks alight with an embarrassed, ashamed blush. He quickly reminded himself that those thoughts had not been his own, but had instead been pressed upon him by Cia's magic. And though he had a moment of weakness, he was resolved to resist it still, so that it would never happen again. But all the same, the black witch had indeed taken notice of how he had looked at her, with the slightest hint of desire in his sky blue eyes, that it nearly drove her mad with longing and lust.

"I don't know why you're trying to resist it, Link…" she said smoothly, edging closer to him with a coy grin. "You and I both know that this is a fight you can't keep up forever. It would be so much easier for you if you simply let go and relinquished yourself to me already… You would save yourself from the pain, and you could save me from the guilt of having to harm you like this in the first place… You'll see, darling… Things would be so much better for both of us if you just gave in and loved me…"

Link glared at her a bit breathlessly upon hearing this, reminding himself not to be taking in by her immense beauty again. But even so, he did notice his heartbeat pick up again as he met her gorgeous, radiant purple-scarlet eyes. "How could I possibly love you when I barely know you?" he asked, his voice intense yet smaller than he had hoped for it to be, as though he had choked the question out. "You said you know everything about me, but I hardly know anything about you aside from the fact that you're obsessed with me."

"Hm… I suppose you are right…" Cia mused thoughtfully. "We really haven't focused on me at all, have we? Well, don't fret; we can fix that right now… What is it you'd like to know, dear?"

Initially, the hero was going to reject her question all together, but his curiosity got the better of him. After all, when would he ever have a chance to learn about his enemy in such a direct way again? "Um… Well… I guess you could start with how… all of this began," he ventured, though he wasn't entirely sure what he meant himself. Cia took the hint well however, as she turned away from him and held her hand behind her back before she began.

"Very well then…" she said calmly. "It would make sense to start from the very beginning, I would think. No doubt Lana has already explained some of it to you, but her side is only half of the story, and a very biased half at that. So perhaps it's time you learned the truth about all of this… Once upon a time, but not too terribly long ago, there was a young girl who grew up in a tightly-knit clan of magicians and sorcerers. This girl was quite happy in her youth; she had a large, loving family, many loyal friends, and wealth and respect within her community. She was a prodigy in her studies, lauded by her instructors and quite advanced in her inherited magical abilities. Yes, this girl had certainly everything she could have wanted and then some… Her life seemed perfect, for a time…

"But then, one fateful day, she was called upon by the golden goddesses themselves in a dream, and a heavy destiny was thrust upon her young shoulders. She was to be their sovereign servant, to work in their name as the trusted guardian of their sacred power. At first, she was elated at being presented with such an illustrious opportunity, excited over how she was to rise to such greatness. That is, until the golden three made it quite clear to her the price she would have to pay. She was forced to give up everything she had ever known, to isolate herself away from the world and leave all of her friends and family behind for absolute solitude. This, the goddesses said, was the only way she could ensure the complete protection of the Triforce without any distractions. And though it broke her heart to leave her home behind forever, she humbly accepted their call, for when the goddesses themselves appoint you, you have no choice but to submit to their will…

"And so she departed for a lonely palace set in a foreboding, empty wood, the place that was to be her home for the rest of time. At first, she had no one but herself and her magic to keep her company, but in time, the goddesses rewarded her diligence with a unique new power: the ability to gaze into Hyrule's past in remarkable detail. At first, she tried to resist the pull of this tempting power, knowing that it would distract her from her charge, but soon enough, she began to look back through time. Initially, nothing in the past caught her particular interest, but out of the blue, she noticed a particular soul, one that seemed to shine brighter than all the rest. It was a soul born of great course and devotion, reborn time and time again with the insurmountable destiny of protecting Hyrule from harm. At first, she merely watched the diverse feats and experiences of this soul out of mere curiosity, but as time went on, her admiration for this spirit and its bearers grew and grew into something that she could not deny was nothing less than the deepest of love.

"At first, guilt filled her heart for letting her be torn in such a way, but she soon began to realize that her love was natural, appropriate even. After all, she had been alone for so long… Loneliness has crushed her heart and suppressed her once bright spirit… For the longest time, she had turned to silent despair, and had held her pain inside of her… But as she looked upon that remarkable soul, as she watched its struggles and triumphs across every age, it was as though her entire world had brightened. That spirit filled her with hope, with peace, with renewed happiness… And because of the incredible feelings it inspired within her, she wanted nothing more than to have the bearer of that spirit by her side, to fill the loneliness inside of her own soul and love her for the rest of her days…"

Link was stunned completely speechless upon hearing all of this, having never thought about Cia's side of things like this before. He had always just assumed that her lust towards him had been born out of her own twisted heart and perverse desires, but if what she was telling him as true, that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, she had fallen for him because of her immense loneliness, out of sadness and despair rather than perversion or sensuality. The hero couldn't very well imagine what it was like to be so alone for so long, but at the same time, he couldn't actually deny that he felt the slightest bit sorry for the black witch. After all, she had been forced to leave everything she cared about behind, with no say in the matter, simply because that's what destiny had dictated. It hardly seemed fair.

"As time wore on, her inner conflict over this newfound love grew, to the point that it literally tore her apart…" Cia continued, a hint of remorse in her tone. "Though one half of her wanted to foolishly put her undeniable feelings behind her and remain chaste, the other half wasn't about to let her love fade into nothingness. Her heart craved the soul of the hero above all else; she wanted him, in body, in soul, and in mind. She wanted his company, his loyalty, his love… Everything. I'm sure you know the rest of the story from there… War was waged, battles fought, victories won… And after many struggles, she managed to finally get her hands on the hero she had so often dreamed of… This little story doesn't have an ending quite yet, but it's certainly in sight…" The black witch finally smiled as she stepped up to the hero, placing both of her hands against his cheeks tenderly as she looked deeply into his eyes. "The hero is going to fall in love with the sorceress, and after that, the two of them will live happily ever after at long last…"

For once, Link didn't try to pull out of Cia's grip as he met her loving gaze, unsure of what to really say at this juncture. He knew well that she wasn't lying to him about any of this; after all, the pain in her tone had been enough to tell him she was more than genuine about the sorrow she had endured. Sympathy filled him and he didn't try to chase it away, for despite all she had done, the black witch truly did deserve it. The hero couldn't help but think that, in another life, if circumstances had been different, then perhaps him and Cia could have at the very least been friends, if not something more.

"Cia… I… I'm sorry…" he said with sincere empathy for her. "I never could have guessed any of that… And even someone like you doesn't deserve to spend the rest of their life alone…" The black witch's expression softened exponentially upon hearing this, her eyes growing the slightest bit wet with oncoming tears as Link continued. "But… you don't have to do this. It's not too late to turn things around. If you just let me go, then I'd be more than willing to help you so you could-"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, love…" Cia shook her head dismissively. "I'm in far too deep to back out of this, just like you're far too along for me to just release you now. Can't you feel it, Link? My magic, coursing through you, filling you with love for the woman you truly deserve? Try as you might, there's no stopping it. In just a few hours' time, your heart will belong to me, and you won't even remember there was ever a time that you stood against me. So be at peace, darling…" she cooed gently as she leaned in and gave the hero a gentle kiss on the neck, somehow making her magic spark through him as he found himself strangely relishing her touch. "Relax and let yourself fall for me, just like how I fell for you…"

* * *

Cia had left him yet again after this exchange, claiming that she wanted to "give him some time to think". When she promised him that she would return soon, Link found that he was actually a bit eager for it, as though her absence was leaving a strange, unknown hole inside of him. By now, the dull pain caused by the thorny vines had all but faded, even if he could still feel them secured around his body. His thoughts all seemed to crash into each other like waves, but they no longer seemed as directly conflicted as they had before, especially after he had learned the truth about Cia's motivations. Lana had indeed left quite a bit out of their history, for reasons Link wasn't quite sure of. His best guess was that the white sorceress had wanted to stress that the black witch was their enemy, but upon hearing about the crippling loneliness and heartbreak she had to endure, the hero wasn't entirely sure if he was comfortable calling her an enemy anymore. In reality, she was just a poor young woman who had been denied so much and had rejoiced and admired the first ray of hope she had managed to catch sight of. If Link had been forced to abandon everything to live completely alone like Cia had been, he wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't have taken the same drastic measures that she had taken to free herself from such empty misery.

The thought of the possibility of the vines influencing him still lingered at the back of the hero's mind, but for the time being, he ignored it. After all, despite the fact that she had captured him, Cia really hadn't caused him much harm aside from the pain brought on by the vines, but even that wasn't too bad. She had apparently healed his wounds, both old and new, and for the most part, she had been amicable enough. The memory of her threatening him earlier grew more and more distant in his mind every time he tried to think about it, to the point that eventually he began to doubt whether or not it actually happened. Certainly, if she loved him like she claimed to, then she would never use such harsh words against him, right?

Yet as he thought about this, Link abruptly remembered someone who would and had callously reproached him: Zelda. Considering the plight he was currently in, he hadn't had much time to consider the princess, aside from how she had apparently abandoned him. But now, he found the memory of their argument in the woods replaying over and over again in his mind. Bitterness filled him as he recalled how she had doubted him, how she had refused to acknowledge his abilities, of how wrong she had been in underestimating him. The princess had shown her true colors then, and up until that point, he had been too blind to see it. She was narrow-minded in her goals, her only want being to keep Hyrule protected so she could continue her tight reign over it. Chances were that she hardly saw him as anything more than just another soldier in her vast army, another body to stand in the line of fire and die for a cause he wasn't really even sure he believed in anymore. Perhaps Cia had been right earlier; all of Zelda's efforts of getting close to him were for the sake of mere flattery alone, just so she could keep him in check and make sure he acted according to her bidding. He was not her lover or even her friend, but a mere tool to her, a pawn. Disposable, replaceable, and largely insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Anger and newfound sorrow filled Link as he pondered all of this, the realization of how little Zelda actually cared for him hitting him like a heavy blow. He had done so much for her, had worked so hard to find her when she was missing, and had devoted himself to her and her leadership. And this was how she intended on repaying him? By demeaning his abilities and ultimately leaving him imprisoned, without the slightest sign that she intended on helping him? Chances were she was probably off somewhere, maybe even back at her castle, reveling in the luxury she had the fortune of being born in without even pausing to give his fate a second thought. He had been foolish to think that she ever had any shred of affection for him; after all, she was the princess of Hyrule and up until a few weeks ago, he had been just a mere recruit born of common blood. Their kinds didn't and couldn't mix. In reality, he should have known that from the start, but the brutal realization was still painful all the same.

A new wave of pain flowed through the hero as he hung his head in shame, his agony both physical and emotional this time. In the fog of his muddled main, nothing really seemed to make sense anymore. A small, almost nonexistent voice seemed to screaming a warning about vines or something like that at him, but he barely heard it and hardly heeded it. Everything he had thought he knew and trusted had been proven false, his heart torn and his faith shaken. It was as though some strange, internal force had somehow opened his eyes to a truth that he had willingly been blind to for so long. And in light of this new awakening, so too, did the floodgates open.

Cia's mood was once again bright and chipper as she appeared before Link again, a contended smile on her face as excitement filled her. She could tell, even from a distance, that her magic was steadily working on the hero, slowly drawing him closer to her side and closer to her heart. However, despite her confidence, she froze before even getting a word out when she noticed how his head was bowed and that he didn't even bother to look up and meet her gaze.

"L-Link…?" Cia frowned, approaching him a bit hesitantly. Concern blossomed within her as she caught sight of tears streaming down the hero's cheeks, even though his eyes were concealed by his blonde bangs sweeping down in front of them. The black witch simply stood and watched him for a moment, guilt and pity starting to fill her, especially as she heard him let out a small, tight sob, which he had clearly been trying to hold back but failed. "Link, are you…?"

"Y-you were right…" the hero muttered despondently, shaking his head a bit. "You were right about her all along and I was too _stupid _to see the truth until now…"

Cia didn't even have to ask to know what he was talking about. Indeed her magic was working to the full effect, driving away any trust and affection he once had for Zelda and replacing it with love for her instead. The time was almost night, and yet, the black witch couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of regret for it. She had only intended to stir up enmity towards the princess in him, but she didn't think that it would lead him to such despair. And as she watched her hero softly weep over his broken in front of her, she wanted nothing more than to put the pieces back together again and dry his tears forevermore.

"Shh…" she quieted him gently, folding him into a comforting embrace as she gave him a brief, loving kiss on the cheek. "It's alright, dear… Just let it all out… I'm here for you… And unlike _her, _I'll never leave you…"

Instead of holding his grief inside of him, Link did as she said and released his sorrow in another broken sob. Normally, he wasn't this emotionally weak, and yet, something was driving him towards this immense sadness, overwhelming him with an emptiness he really didn't know how to fill. "All this time… I followed her willingly…" he said, his voice but a despondent whisper as he readily accepted Cia's embrace. "I did everything she said… I fought for her and her kingdom… And she was just _using _me…"

"Yes, love… I know…" Cia affirmed, the slightest hint of disdain for Zelda in her tone. "But you're far from the first hero to fall victim to her beguiling deception. All of your past incarnations were likewise led to believe that their princesses actually cared for them. They were trapped in a cruel cycle of fate and destiny all stimulated by her… Until now. No longer will you be subject to her lies and treachery. For so long I have watched you suffer because of her, but you will never have to endure such oppression again. I have released you from the ties that once bound you to her. Now, you are free…"

Upon hearing this, Link let out a small sigh of relief, finding a strange sense of comfort in the black witch's reassurance. Though his face was still wet with tears, they stopped falling as he stole a glance towards her, fully letting himself admire her beauty as she held her face close to his and gave him a gracious smile. Her deep ruby lips were soft, full, and inviting and her eyes were beyond impressive wonders in and of themselves. Rich, crimson-tinged violet eyes stared intently at him, seeming to peer into his very soul and wordlessly, endlessly adore him all at once. The hero couldn't recall a time that anyone, not even the princess, had ever looked at him like that. Cia gazed at him as though he was her entire world, the only thing of worth or value in existence. This was not a look of mere lust or seduction; it was complete and absolute love.

And perhaps for the first time, Link decided to accept it wholeheartedly instead of trying to stubbornly refute her affections. After all, there was no question in his mind that she cared for him, far more than Zelda ever had claimed to. The longstanding ache in his bones soon caved into longing, as though any former resistance had shattered apart like broken glass. As he looked to Cia yet again, he saw so much more than an insane witch, or even a lonely, crestfallen sorceress. Now, he saw a woman who was impossibly beautiful in mind, soul, and bod. A woman who had loved him so deeply and so fully before they had ever even met face to face. A woman who had the capacity to understand him more than anyone else ever could. A woman who would never use him to meet her own ends, but instead would provide him with support, comfort, and affection. A woman who loved him for who he was and not simply for what he could offer. And, the longer he looked upon her, the more he felt as though his very soul was being moved, as though he was falling headfirst into something deep and real and wonderful all at once.

"C-Cia…" the hero choked, desperation etched into both his expression and his tone. "Please… Don't leave me…"

The black witch felt her heart quiver upon hearing him beg for her company, tears of joy threatening to fall as she drew in closer to him, taking his face in her hands and using her thumb to wipe his own tears away. "Don't worry, my darling…" she whispered both tenderly and intensely. "I never will… I promise…"

Time seemed to slow to a gradual halt as the two of them remained still for the longest time, the only sound echoing through the garden being that of their simultaneous breathing. They were so close to each other now that they could both feel each other's heart race against their chests, passion steadily building up between the hero and the black witch, who, not too long ago, had opposed each other in battle. But now, such a thought couldn't be further from either of their minds. It was as though the past had never happened and the future didn't exist. The only thing that was real to either of them was this this one sole moment alone.

Silence reigned between them, even as they began to draw nearer to each other gradually, naturally even. Their hearts stirred in equal nervousness, anxiousness, and excitement as they took in each other's warmth. And though Cia paused for but a moment as her lips hovered over Link's awaiting ones, she soon threw all of her racing thoughts and cautions to the wind and met them. Their kiss started out slowly and chastely enough, lazy and light as the black witch draped her arms over the hero's shoulders. It filled them both with a rich, warm, flickering sensation, akin to the birth of a flame. And as Cia got her first taste of what she had been dreaming of for so long, she instantly craved more. She pressed harder against Link as the kiss steadily deepened, the tiny flame soon blossoming into a passionate, glowing inferno. And yet, he never resisted her advance, instead welcoming it gladly, as though her kiss was filling his soul with new life.

Their kiss dragged on for some time, and yet neither of them felt like any time was passing at all. However, before they finally released it, the black witch skimmed her fingers along the tip of one of the vines near the hero's neck, making them all recede instantly. The twisting plants uncoiled from around his arms and legs gently, releasing them from their firm hold at long last. Yet Link hardly even noticed this as he made use of his newfound mobility to do one thing alone: wrap Cia into a tight, earnest, tender embrace. Though their lips were still pressed together, the black witch let out a contented sigh as he did so, wishing that this perfect moment never had to end.

And yet, it eventually did. Slowly, they pulled apart from each other, still locked in their firm embrace as they caught their breath together. Their eyes never parted though as they met each other in a soft, sensual gaze, warm, dizzying passion still floating between them. Neither of them could scarcely collect their thoughts properly, but in the end, the hero was the first one to break the gap of silence between them.

"Cia…" he murmured, gently pressing her head against his chest. She smiled blissfully as her heart swelled at the romantic gesture, allowing herself to feel the steady beat of his heart as she listened to him utter the words that she had longed to her him say. "I love you…"

The black witch nearly broke down into a round of elated sobs at this, but she refrained herself by shedding just a few happy tears instead. She had worked for so long and so hard; she had put blood, sweat, and tears into this cause. She had dreamed, hoped, prayed, and believed that her fantasies would someday become real. And now, all at once, she found herself in the only place she would ever find true happiness, in her hero's comforting embrace. She found herself at long last the object of his affections, one half of a love that was now fully reciprocated. She found her dreams coming true, her hopes reaching new heights, and her fantasies turning into reality. And in that moment, she knew, there was not a thing in the world as perfect or as beautiful as this. "Oh, Link…" she whispered softly, smiling tearfully up at the hero, _her _hero, who now looked at her with nothing less than absolute love and adoration. "That's all I've _ever _wanted to hear…"

* * *

**Yeah, so go on and kinkshame me if you want for this. I won't blame you. But how could I resist taking the opportunity to implement one of my minor ships! Plus, this will certainly make things more interesting for Zelda and everyone else later on, don't you agree? But anyway, next time around, we're actually going to see what everyone else is up to, and a few unexpected new faces might just pop up so be on the lookout for them!**

**In other news, let's talk HW Legends. I am in LOVE with that game! I adore the Wind Waker chapters and Linkle is my new main! And so, for the chapter question, I want to know, who is your favorite new character added to HW Legends (these include Linkle, Tetra, King Daphnes, Toon Link, or Skull Kid). Let me know in the REVIEWS!**

**And finally, one more note concerning HW Legends. Chances are what I'll probably end up doing is putting out a sequel to this novelization once its done, based on the new chapters in Legends, as well as some other things I didn't get a chance to cover here, like Cia's tale. This means that we'll be getting both Linkle's story as well as the Wind Waker chapters, and chances are I'll probably add a few more things as well. So here's that to get excited about. But for now, I must go. Hopefully it won't take me another 4 months to get a new chapter out for this! Until next time! **


	26. Unexpected Allies

_Ok so blah blah blah this took forever whatever. I've been having trouble uploading this chapter, so I'll just cut this short cause I'm frustrated and exhusted. So if you really wanna ask me something just drop by my inbox or whatever. Anyway, let's get started. _

* * *

_Chapter 25: Unexpected Allies_

"Midna, where are we going?" Lana asked breathlessly, jogging to keep up with the Twili imp's fast pace. Midna glided across the open fields with purpose, her manner more serious than it usually was as she led the white sorceress to an unknown destination.

The Twilight Princess had a ghost of a smile on her face as she glanced back towards her ally. "I'm honestly not sure myself…" she admitted. "I guess he could be just about anywhere."

"Who?"

"You'll see…" Midna said vaguely, still refusing to explain exactly what or who they were looking for.

"Well, all the same, we shouldn't go too far," Lana frowned. "After all, we still have to meet up with Agitha after she finds the princess. Speaking of which, why do need her anyway?"

"Always so full of questions, aren't we?" the Twilight Princess giggled. "Why don't you try going with the flow instead of always wondering about everything? It makes life much more interesting."

Lana sighed in slight annoyance as she continued to follow Midna, putting away the rest of her many pressing questions for now. She certainly trusted the Twilight Princess after all they had been through together, but she still couldn't help but question her rather odd motives, especially at a time like this. For all they knew, Cia could be having her way with both Link and Hyrule at that very moment and there was no time to waste. Especially not on what seemed to be an aimless wild goose chase for something the Twili imp refused to divulge.

While the white sorceress wondered what their ultimate goal was, the Twilight Princess knew full well what she was looking for. Or rather _who _she was looking for. Her first instinct was to be nervous as she considered the reunion that was about to take place, but instead she placed her worries aside for resolve and ambiguity instead. Had the situation been less serious, she would have definitely been more excited than anxious, but as her thoughts of the future Hyrule and dread of the present combined, she couldn't help but be apprehensive. She knew well that the only reason they were on this hunt in the first place was so they could find some help in getting back to the present. In all actuality, there was relatively little personal about it, but for Midna, at least, this would still be very personal. There was no way it couldn't be.

After about an hour of directionless traveling, Midna suddenly stopped in her tracks as she heard a familiar high-pitched tune ring out across the field from nearby. Likewise, Lana stopped short a few feet behind the Twilight Princess, though she didn't recognize the airy trill like her companion did. "What was that?" the white sorceress asked in confusion.

"It's what we're looking for," Midna replied simply, a small grin on her face as she glided forward, even faster than before. Knowing that she still wasn't getting any answers, Lana simply followed as she had been doing this entire time, hoping that everything would finally become clear soon.

The Twilight Princess's breath caught in her throat as she hovered to the top of the hill before them, looking down into the small valley below to see a sight that filled her heart with warmth and cold all at once. Likewise, as Lana came to stand atop the hill, she let out a shocked gasp upon noticing the figure standing quite a distance away from them.

He had yet to notice their arrival as he cheerfully greeted the elegant, sturdy mare that had just ran to meet his call. Lana felt her heart clench as she glanced over him, his dark golden hair, faded green clothes, handsome face. She had seen that face so many times before while watching the flow of time, out of both her own curiosity and Cia's obsession. But to actually meet him face to face… she never thought she'd get the chance.

"Midna…" Lana said, her voice but a soft whisper. "That's…"

"I know," Midna said, just as gently. Her eyes never left him, even if he had yet to see her. Despite the fact that she had been the one to part them in the first place, she had always secretly been dreaming of this day, when they would finally reunite at long last. But even now, when he was right in front of her, it took all of the courage she had in her to finally push herself towards him.

"Link," the Twilight Princess called, though her shaking voice was nowhere near loud enough for him to hear her from so far away. So she tried again, trying her best to push confidence in to her voice, despite the fact that she had very little at the moment. "Link!"

The Hero of Twilight finally glanced away from his loyal steed upon hearing his name, though he froze up upon seeing the Twilight Princess slowly gliding towards him. Midna herself stopped as she noticed his completely stunned expression. His jaw was dropped and his dark blue eyes were wide as he took in the sight of her, but his expression conveyed little emotion other than shock. Even as she discreetly descended the hill after Midna, Lana could practically sense the awkward tension between the former companions, though she did notice that the hero's sights were set on nothing else but the Twili imp before him. However, when the silence finally did cease, the hero himself was the one to break it.

"M-Midna…?" he asked in clear disbelief, still unable to rip his eyes away from her. The Twilight Princess bit back the sob she had been holding in as she heard him say her name again, knowing that the last time he had said it had been in a desperate plea to get her to stay.

After what seemed like ages of trying to think of something sensible to say, Midna all too soon found her silent emotional state give way to blatant panic. Before she could stop herself, her tears finally began to come forth, her small frame wracked with sobs as she finally spoke. "Link…" she began, her tone slow and resigned at first. "My little wolf…"

Still trying to make sense of the unfolding situation, the hero opened his mouth to speak, but Midna was quick to stop him before he could, her own overflowing emotions getting the better of her. "Link, I… I need you to know, before anything else, that I am so, _so _sorry." A tight cry finally escaped her, tears practically pouring down her face as she watched confusion fill his features, which hadn't changed at all despite the months they had been apart. However, as she thought of the dark future that Lana revealed that he might possibly have, she knew, above all else, that she had to set things straight between them. So she continued. "I'm so sorry for the huge mistake I made. Leaving you was the worst thing I could have ever done and not a day goes by that I wish I could just go back in time and keep myself from breaking that damn mirror in the first place. To tell you the truth, I'm just… _incomplete _without you, Link. You were my best friend I took that for granted. I thought that breaking the mirror would be the best thing for both of us, but now I know that it wasn't; it isn't and it will _never _be. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done, but I expect you to know that I haven't stopped thinking about you, I haven't stopped remembering everything we went through together, and I haven't stopped hoping that I would see you again, because… because…" The Twilight Princess finally trailed off, her lengthy speech finally slowing from its mile a minute pace as her grief and regret overwhelmed her. Her eyes were so blurred by tears that she couldn't even see the hero begin to solemnly approach her. "Because… I missed you… Goddesses, I missed you _so _much. I know you probably hate me for everything I've put you through, and I know I'll never forgive _myself _for any of this, but… but I… I just…"

Just as Midna trailed off into incoherent sobs, she suddenly drew in a startled breath as Link folded her small frame into a gentle, comforting embrace. It certainly surprised the Twilight Princess, as the two of them had never really hugged before, but she accepted it nonetheless as she continued to pour her emotions out and listened to his words of comfort. "Midna," he began, his voice soft and soothing, a stark contrast to the savage fierceness she knew it could carry. "I… I missed you too… More than you could possibly know. These past few months have felt like years without you, and while I don't know why you're here or how you got here… none of that matters. What matters is… I forgive you…"

"W-what?" Midna asked, her voice rough and fragile from crying.

"I said I forgive you," the hero repeated as he pulled away from her a bit, a small, yet warm smile on his face. "After everything we went through, I don't think there's any way I could stay mad at you for too long."

Though her eyes were still wet with tears, the Twilight Princess let out a chuckle at this as she gave him a light, playful punch on the arm. "I guess some things never change," she said with a relieved smirk. "You're still the same little wolf I know and love."

Having watched this entire touching reunion from a short distance, Lana couldn't help but smile softly to herself, glad that she had been able to keep her promise to Midna. But even so, she refrained from butting into the conversation between the two companions as they began to catch up with each other.

"So… It's not that I'm not incredibly happy to see you again, Midna, but… how'd you get back to Hyrule?" Link asked, slightly bewildered. "And why are you an imp again? I thought the curse was lifted."

"It's a _long _story…" Midna said, crossing her arms as her usual playful manner returned. "And honestly, I'd like to wait until Zelda gets here to tell it."

"Z-Zelda's coming?" the hero asked, suddenly caught off guard. The Twilight Princess noticed this as she smirked at her companion broadly, ready to poke fun at him as always.

"Yep. And honestly, I was sort of expecting you to be with her, especially considering the way you two kept gawking at each other before I left."

"O-oh, well… I mean…" Link stumbled awkwardly, his face alight with sudden embarrassment. "The princess and I… We've hung out a little since then, but don't take it the wrong way; there isn't anything like that going on between us."

"Aw, well that's a shame then," Midna deadpanned. "You two would make a pretty cute couple. Yeah, the princess and her loyal wolf!"

The hero shot the Twili imp an unamused glare as she giggled at his expense. "Midna…" he said in exasperation.

"Come on, Link, you know I'm just kidding," she laughed mirthfully. "But there is someone very important I'd like you to meet. This is Lana. She's a good friend of mine." The Twilight Princess glided aside as she turned to the white sorceress, who was still standing a few feet away, observing the scene. Lana was admittedly surprised as she was suddenly brought into the conversation, but she stepped forward nonetheless, trying her best to suppress how nervous she was in front of the legendary Hero of Twilight.

"Nice to meet you, Lana," Link greeted with a friendly grin, extending a hand out for her to shake. The white sorceress met it hesitantly, feeling the steady rush of warmth building up in her cheeks as she nodded a bit breathlessly.

"I-it's an honor to meet you too, h-hero," she said rather meekly, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She knew it was shameful, but she couldn't deny that she shared at least some of the black witch's admiration for the heroes of the past, even if she was much better at controlling it than her other half.

"Oh, you don't have to call me that," the hero said humbly. "No one does. Well… except Zelda."

"Speaking of Zelda," Midna said as she glanced to the wide field to the east, spotting two familiar figures steadily approaching them. "Here she comes. Looks like that kid can actually get things done if you ask her firmly enough."

Even while she was still quite a distance away, Agitha cheerfully called out to her allies the moment she saw them from afar. "Miss Lana! Miss Kitty! I'm back! And I brought the princess!"

Indeed, the princess of Hyrule followed not too far behind the insect princess, her expression awash with confusion as she tried to understand why a young girl had come to find her in the name of the Twilight Princess herself. But as she glanced up from her young companion to see the Twili imp floating in the distance, her usual stoic, calm demeanor instantly shattered into one of great surprise. "Midna?!" Zelda gasped, immediately picking up the skit of her heavy royal gown so she could run to meet the Twilight Princess. Agitha skipped cheerfully after her, glad to reunite with her two allies once more.

"Good to see you again too, Zelda," Midna laughed casually, giving the princess a broad smirk of greeting as she arrived before her.

"Midna… how… how is this possible?" Zelda asked a bit breathlessly, quickly resuming her regal posture after her show of rather elated surprise. "The Mirror of Twilight is shattered. By all accounts our kingdoms have been severed from one another."

"Tell me something I don't know," the Twilight Princess remarked sarcastically. "Don't worry; I'll explain everything, I promise. But first, I think there are a few introductions we need to get out of the way, right, Lana?"

"Y-yes," Lana nodded, feeling more at ease with meeting the Princess of Light than she had the hero. "Your highness, my name is Lana. Midna and Agitha have been traveling with me and my allies for quite some time."

"Then we are well met, Lana," Zelda said with a reserved, polite smile as the white sorceress bowed in reverence. "Midna is a dear friend of mine. Though, I was somewhat surprised to be summoned to meet her by such a young… interesting child as Agitha here."

"I showed Princess Zelda my prized phasmid pair!" Agitha announced proudly. "And I gave her that necklace, just like you wanted, Miss Kitty."

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that," Midna said to Zelda, rolling her eyes the young girl. "But anyway, princess, I'm sure you remember Link, right?"

"Yes…" the princess's manner grew somewhat anxious, perhaps even bashful as she glanced towards Link, who had scarcely been able to take his eyes off of her since her arrival. "Hero… I am pleased to see you again. It has been quite a while since we last met."

"I… um, yes," the hero nodded tersely, always finding himself at a loss for words in the presences of the radiant princess. "It… it has been a while, hasn't it?"

Link's anxious expression soon turned to an aggravated glare as he heard Midna's teasing chuckle beside him, knowing that she was probably getting a good laugh over watching stumble over his words. Thankfully though, Lana soon cut in, knowing that there was an important matter that still had to be dealt with. "I'm sure you both are wondering why you're here. And honestly, I'm not so sure about the answer myself. Why did you need them to meet us, Midna?"

"Ah, looks like you're finally about to get some 'much-needed' answers, Lana," Midna said, floating casually. "And all you had to do was be a little patient. So, here goes. I think it be best to start with a fun fact: Lana here is actually a sorceress from the future. Pretty neat, huh?"

Link and Zelda were both quite surprised to hear this information as they both looked to white sorceress to learn more. "Um, yes," Lana admitted a bit sheepishly. "I'm actually one half of the Guardian of Time, the destined watcher of the Triforce. My other half, the black witch Cia, split off from me and started a great war in the Hyrule of my time, a war that's still going on."

"Now, here's the awkward part," Midna cut in, looking towards the hero. "Especially for you, Link. You see, Cia's not only bent on conquering Hyrule, and not only was she the one who invaded this Hyrule and cursed me into an imp again. But… she's also _ridiculously _obsessed with every hero Hyrule's ever had, including you."

"Wait…" Link interrupted, trying to make sense of this explanation, which actually made him rather uncomfortable. "So this Cia woman… is in… love with me? Did I hear that right?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said, little wolf?" the Twilight Princess asked caustically. "Not just you. Every hero, but especially the one in her time. So much so that she managed to capture him, probably just so she can force him into her bed, the dirty slu-"

"Midna!" Lana warned, already fully prepared to keep Agitha from hearing Midna curse once more. The Twilight Princess heaved a sigh of annoyance as the white sorceress continued for her. "Anyway… We were separated from our other allies after Cia captured our hero. Since I recruited both Midna and Agitha from this era, it only made sense that we ended up here. But as for the rest of our allies… well, they could be scattered across the sands of time for all we know."

"Which is why we need your help," Midna said to both the hero and the princess. "Apparently, the only way we can get back to the future Hyrule and put Cia in her place is with the Master Sword. And as we all know, there's only one person who can use it, am I right, Link?"

"Oh…" Lana muttered in realization, the pieces of Midna's mysterious plan finally all fitting into place. She honestly wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of the idea herself, considering the Hero of Twilight was the only candidate in this age suitable for wielding the sacred blade, even if it wasn't currently in his possession.

"I guess…" Link said with a confused frown. "But Midna, after you left, I put the Master Sword back in the Sacred Grove."

"I figured as much," Midna crossed her arms, though there was no signs of impatience in her tone. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you, Zelda."

"About what?" the princess asked curiously.

"Well, normally I wouldn't care about something as childish as asking for permission for anything, but considering I genuinely respect you, I figured it would only be appropriate," the Twili imp started both brazenly and awkwardly. "So… since you're the one who told us to go get the sword in the first place, would you mind if we went and got it again? Just to get us back to the future?"

"Oh, well, I am not sure if such a thing is really under my jurisdiction…" Zelda said with a frown. "But I suppose there would be no issue with such a thing. After all, it is for a noble cause and the Master Sword shall be safe in the hands of the honorable hero of the land once more."

Midna could scarcely contain her amused laughter as she looked over at Link, whose eyes were wide and cheeks were red as he heard the princess's compliment of him. Of course, before it could really amount to anything, Agitha burst into the conversation, only really understating about half of what the adults were conversing about, though that hardly quelled her excitement.

"So, we're going to the forest to find the fancy sword?" the insect princess chirped happily. "Hooray! There are so many diverse and interesting insects that live in the woods! I can't wait to meet them all!"

"Ugh, ignore her," Midna scoffed to Link and Zelda. "She's a bit off her rocker, though I gotta admit, she's a pretty competent fighter."

"So what happens after we get the Master Sword?" Link asked.

"I'll explain once we get there," Lana affirmed, more than ready to depart to get this new mission underway. "But for now, we should get going. I doubt we have much time to wait."

"But of course," Zelda agreed. "After all, if the Hyrule of any age, past, present, or future is in danger, than it is my sworn duty as its ruler to ensure its salvation."

"I agree," Link said with firm resolve. "We'll do whatever we can to help you all."

"Thanks, little wolf," Midna smiled warmly, still overjoyed to be with her original hero once again, especially after thinking she would never get this chance again. "I knew I could count on you."

* * *

The trek through the treacherous Gerudo Desert had been a hard one, though nowhere near as difficult as it could have been thanks to Impa's special Sheikah abilities. Thanks to her enhanced vision, she had been able to guide herself, Ruto, and Darunia through the desert's illusions, though the dry heat had been doing little for the Zora princess. Fortunately though, they had stocked up on water before entering the desert, and the Goron patriarch was more than happy to give his share to Ruto, considering she needed it much more than he did. The trio hadn't conversed much during their journey, considering that focus was imperative if they wanted to survive the harsh conditions, but also because the Sheikah guardian was still largely seething with anger for the hero, something both of her allies could clearly tell through her sour expression alone. Though Ruto and Darunia were both concerned for Link's wellbeing, Impa could hardly care less at the moment; her sole desire was to return to the Hyrule of the present, but not before finding Zelda and ensuring her safety first. As far as she was concerned, everything else, including the hero, could wait.

After what seemed like ages of brutal sandstorms and tricky illusions, the group finally cleared out of the desert wasteland and into the outer reaches of the desert, where the Gerudo tribe's sacred Spirit Temple rested. The structure towered over the desert sand, and the sun's convenient position provided the trio some much needed shade, especially as Ruto rehydrated herself in the oasis not too far from the temple's entrance.

"So the Hero of Time will be coming here… when exactly?" Impa asked her allies as her and Darunia sat near the oasis as Ruto happily splashed about.

"Anytime now, I guess," Darunia shrugged, making sure to stay clear of the water, since Gorons sunk, quite literally, like rocks. "He's probably right behind us, if he's able to get through that crazy maze back there at all."

"Oh, don't doubt my hero, Darunia!" Ruto called from the water. "He's more than capable of making his way through a mere desert if he was able to overcome the treacherous traps of the Water Temple! And besides," the Zora Princess let out a blissful sigh as she rested the upper half of her body against the rocky shore of the pool. "I just can't _wait _to see him again… It's been too terribly long."

"Are you both certain he'll even agree to help us?" Impa asked, her mind still focused on their overall goal above all else. "After all, he is in the middle of a very important mission. He might not want to take a break from it if the safety of the Hyrule of this age is at stake."

"Aw, don't worry, Sister Impa!" Darunia assured with a hearty grin. "Brother Link will be more than happy to help! He's not the kind to turn a blind eye to anyone in need. Heck, he practically saved the entire Goron tribe when he was a kid, without expecting any sort of reward! Of course, I gave him one, but still, he's as selfless as they come."

"He's a prince," Ruto sighed with a dreamy smile. "An absolute prince. Not literally, of course, but he will be once the two of us get married!"

Impa merely rolled her eyes as this, already growing tired of waiting for this supposed lauded hero to arrive. Her patience for heroes in general was incredibly thin, especially considering the stupid stunt the Link of the present had pulled that had gotten them all into this mess in the first place.

The trio rested near the oasis for another hour or so, until a sudden bright, cheery voice broke over the winds of the desert wasteland adjacent to the temple. "Hey! Listen!" All three of them instant recognized this voice as that of the Hero of Time's companion fairy, Navi, who had lent her aid during the battle of Death Mountain. And of course, her appearance here and now could only be a sign of the hero's long-awaited arrival.

The group continued to lay low as they watched the hero cross the small stretch of desert leading to the desert from afar. They waited a moment or two before pursuing him from a safe distance, not wanting to tactlessly surprise him. Even despite the distance between them though, Impa noted that the Hero of Time actually bore quite a semblance to the Link of the present. His tunic, while more simplistic, was nearly the same shade of green, his form tall, yet well built, his hair sunshine gold, messy and dusted with sand from his trek through the desert wasteland.

After exchanging collective nods, the trio prepared to approach the hero, though someone else had already beat them to the punch. Though Impa, Ruto, and Darunia hadn't noticed, there was a lone figure standing atop the stone spire in front of the temple, and it was only after the hero had passed under it that this figure leapt from their high perch, surprising everyone. The trio quickly took cover behind a nearby pillar for the moment, and as Impa seized up this stranger's appearance, she couldn't help but raise a suspicious eyebrow. Despite their apparently masculine figure, the stranger's Sheikah garments and conspicuous face coverings were quite familiar. It was only as the hero called out the stranger's name in greeting that the Sheikah guardian's suspicions were confirmed.

"Sheik!" the hero exclaimed with a friendly smile, stepping forward to meet his occasional guide.

"'Sheik', huh?" Impa muttered to herself, smirking knowingly. She didn't even have to guess to know who was under the supposed young Sheikah "man's" mask; instead, she simply let out a small chuckle of the irony of it all. History, it seemed, truly did have a way of repeating itself.

Sheik met the hero's approach, his expression calm and neutral as he spoke in a smooth male voice, though he wasn't fooling the Sheikah guardian like he was the hero. "Past, present, future…" he began vaguely, garnishing the Hero of Time's confusion. "The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river… The port for that ship is in the Temple of Time."

"Impa, did you hear that?" Ruto asked with a gasp of realization. "If that's true, then I'll bet anything that the Master Sword will be able to get us back to your time!"

"Eh, that all just sounded like a bunch of poetic nonsense to me," Darunia said gruffly, shaking his head in confusion. Regardless of whether it was true or not, Impa quieted them both as Sheik continued to address the hero.

"To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow."

"So… I guess we're heading back to the Temple of Time then?" the hero asked his fairy with a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"Honestly, it feels like we _live _there by now!" Navi exclaimed, crossing her arms as she rested on her companion's shoulder.

"Allow me to make it easier for you then," Sheik said as he pulled out a golden harp, one that Impa only found even more irony in. "Listen to this Requiem of Spirit. This melody will lead a child back to the desert…"

Deciding that they had waited long enough, Ruto and Darunia prepared to emerge from their hiding spot, though Impa was quick to stop them, a small part of her wanting to watch history unfold right before her very eyes. The young Sheikah poised his harp as he began to play a sorrowful, morose melody, one that rung out across the desert sands. The Hero of Time was quick to follow along on his own instrument, which Impa recognized from the history books as the magical Ocarina of Time itself. Together, the hero and the Sheikah preformed a duet that was fluid in both harmony and melody, a special kind of magic flowing through its hollow notes.

"There is a darkness plaguing these lands that only you can vanquish, Link," Sheik said as the pair finished the Requiem of Spirit. "I wish you luck in your quest through the Spirit Temple."

"Let me guess," the hero said with a small, sardonic smirk. "You're going to run off again without really saying much else, right Sheik?"

The young Sheikah let out a small amused laugh at this. "Finally catching on, are we, hero?"

"Well, it does seem to be a bad habit of yours," Link pointed out, crossing his arms as Navi chuckled brightly.

"In time, perhaps you shall understand why," Sheik said mysteriously. "But for now, we both have important affairs we must attend to. So until then, I-"

A sudden crash interrupted the young Sheikah, immediately catching the attention of both young men. Acting on impulsive instinct, Sheik swirled around, a knife already in his hand as he stood before the Hero of Time protectively. Link himself as a bit more rational about the situation, especially as he looked past the young Sheikah to see the Zora princess lying on top of the Goron patriarch as they had just fallen out from behind their hiding spot. Impa was still concealed however, as she face palmed in annoyance, knowing that in trying to be discreet, they had been anything but.

"Ruto? Darunia?" Link frowned in confusion as he moved out from behind Sheik, who slowly lowered his knife upon seeing the two sages.

"O-oh! Hello, Link!" Ruto laughed a bit awkwardly, pulling herself off the ground as she shot a glare Darunia's way for causing their fall. "How have you been, darling?"

"I've been… good, I guess," the hero shrugged, still clearly bewildered. "What are you guys doing all the way out here in the desert?"

"Yeah!" Navi chimed, just as confused. "I thought you both were helping clear out the monsters around Lake Hylia!"

"Well… uh, we _were _there…" Darunia began, not entirely sure of how to explain their current predicament. "And we got rid of them… And then, we… sorta ended up in the future. Waaaay into the future."

"So far into the future that we ended up fighting for the cause of Hyrule in a war against an absolutely insane, nonsensically gaudy witch," Ruto informed with a hint of disdain for Cia in her tone. "But Impa can probably do a better job telling you about all that."

"Impa is here as well?" Sheik asked, seeming to ease up a bit from his earlier intensity.

"In a way…" the Sheikah guardian spoke up as she emerged from her hiding spot, instantly catching the hero and the young Sheikah off guard.

"Who…? You… you're not _really _Impa… are you?" Link asked, noticing how drastically different this Impa looked from the one he was familiar with, the Sage of Shadows herself.

"Well, I _am _Impa," she replied with an amused smirk. "Just not the one you apparently know, young hero."

"Oh, right!" Navi quipped in, flittering into the air in excitement. "Link, this is who I was telling you about! The Impa from the future! And she was accompanied by a Sheik from the future too!"

"What?!" Sheik asked, crossing his arms as he gave the Sheikah guardian a skeptical look of disbelief.

"Speaking of which, where is your Sheik?" Navi asked Impa. "She did come with you, didn't she?"

"She?" Link frowned, glancing towards the Sheik standing right next to him, who was undoubtedly male.

"Ah, yes…" Impa said, meeting Sheik's caustic glance with a relaxed, knowing grin. "Well, that's a rather long story. But to be concise, let's just say she's not here."

"Hold on a minute," the hero cut in, trying to make sense of what was unfolding. "So if you're from the future, and some huge war is going on the future, then what are you doing here?"

"We came to find you of course, dear!" Ruto chirped happily as she romantically draped her arm over the hero's shoulder. Link smiled awkwardly yet good-naturedly as he gently removed it.

"We are in dire need of your aid, Hero of Time," Impa said with due respect to the legendary hero. "While we were facing off against the black witch and her forces, she used her magic to scatter us and the rest of our allies across the flow of time. The three of us ended up here, but now we have no way to get back to our time. But considering you have been said to use the Master Sword as a vessel for time travel, perhaps you could aid us by lending its strength to get us back to the present."

"Well, I'd love to help, but I can only use the Master Sword to travel back in time seven years and forward to now from then," Link explained with a frown. "I don't know if it could help anyone travel hundreds of years into the future."

"It could," Sheik affirmed, his manner still somewhat harsh and stoic. "But I would be wary about offering my assistance to this cause if I were you, hero. I trust Darunia and Princess Ruto, but if I am to be completely honest, then you come across as rather suspicious, 'Impa'…"

"You're one to talk, 'Sheik'," Impa nodded, still smirking at the young Sheikah, much to his aggravation. "And I'm not asking you do to this for me, Hero of Time. I'm asking you to help the Hyrule of the future. Certainly _some_of us can understand a motivation like that, right Sheik?"

Sheik took in a sharp breath upon being addressed so directly, the ire in his crimson eyes turning to surprise as he realized that Impa was indeed onto him. He said nothing though, lest he give himself away to Link as he took a small, subtle step back, though he had decided to accompany the hero to ensure his safety in this sudden turn of events.

"So, you'll help us out, right Brother?" Darunia asked with a hopeful expression.

"I'll try," the hero said tenatively "But… I'm not sure where to start with something like this."

"Well, Sheik said so himself," Navi pointed out. "The Temple of Time is the port for the Master Sword to sail through time. Why don't we try going there first?"

"Then that's convenient," Link said with a small laugh. "We were heading there anyway."

"You have my immense thanks, Hero of Time," Impa said with sincere gratitude, already liking how much more humble this Link was when compared to the one of her own time. "The Hyrule of the past, present, and future is in your debt."

Link simply smiled and shook his head, not feeling quite worthy of such high praise. "I'm just doing my job. And like it or not, my job is protecting Hyrule, no matter what threat its under and no matter what time it's in."

* * *

"According to my calculations, my first master is very close, as is Hylia's incarnation," Fi confirmed to Proxi and Sheik as the group traveled together through the forest known as Faron Woods. The Sheikah warrior was hardly listening to the sword spirit's report, as she was largely lost in her own thoughts and worries. She could hardly bare to think about what Cia might be doing to Link at that very moment, and yet she could think of nothing else. She didn't think that the black witch would be able to force the hero to become enamored with her, but then again, she had thought that she would able to capture him in the first place. Yet even so, Link's will was strong, even stronger than his stubborn ego. Sheik knew that the hero wouldn't allow himself to be swayed so easily, especially by a woman who wanted him for nothing more than her own perverse, lewd desires. But even if Link did manage to resist Cia, the Sheikah warrior feared that the black witch wouldn't be patient with him forever. There was a good chance that if Cia didn't get what she wanted from him, then she very well might just count him as loss and kill him after all, getting rid of one of the largest obstacles in her way to conquering Hyrule.

Sheik was broken out of her musings as she heard Proxi say something to Fi, though she still didn't understand the fairy's archaic language. She wished she did though, as she would certainly ask Proxi all about the details of Link's capture, as she had been the only one with him when it happened. But for now, she could only guess as to what the fairy had said as the sword spirit offered a terse response.

"I am certain my master will assist us in our cause," Fi stated confidently. "His soul is generous and kind and even during our initial mission together, he scarcely refused to those in need, regardless of who they were."

Sheik almost spoke up upon hearing this, ready to note just how similar the Hero of the Sky's good nature sounded to that of her own hero's. However, before she could, a sudden wild shriek broke through the natural calm of the woods, a noise that all three of them recognized as the cries of attacking monsters.

"I am detecting a horde of bokoblins immediately ahead," Fi stated. "I recommend proceeding with caution."

The Sheikah warrior simply nodded, already grabbing two of her kunais as she gracefully leapt up into the trees. Fi and Proxi followed, flying after Sheik as she jumped from tree to tree swiftly and silently, hoping to have the element of surprise on her side on the invading creatures. However, as the monsters came into view below her, so too did two figures who were already fending them off.

Sheik suppressed a gasp as she looked upon who she knew had to be the Hero of the Skies, based on his appearance alone. While he wasn't exactly a dead ringer for the Link of her time, he looked fairly similar in features, build, and light blue eyes, though the style of his tunic was a bit different and his hair was of a more sandy blond shade. But even still, he stood strong with his sword and shield in hand, opposing the group of monsters as he bravely defended the young woman behind him. Sheik was taken aback quite a bit as she realized this girl bore a decent semblance to herself, or at least how she looked as a princess as opposed to that moment. She had long golden hair and deep blue eyes, and despite the simple, folksy pink dress she wore, the Sheikah warrior's crimson eyes widened even more as she remembered what Fi had said. Despite her humble, yes still lovely appearance, this girl was certainly the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, and as such, she was the princess's ancient ancestor.

Speaking in but a whisper in the trees, Proxi posed a question to Fi, which she was quick to answer as she focused her blank gaze on the hero. "Yes. That is my former master…" she confirmed, though a small hint of emotion actually seemed to leak into her usually stoic tone.

"We should help them," Sheik finally said, also unable to look away from the hero as he skillfully took on the bokoblins, even if he was greatly outnumbered.

"I would advise against that at the current time," Fi said succinctly even as Sheik prepared to leap out of the trees. "It would be much more effective and sufficient to engage my master in conversation once he has dispatched this immediate danger."

The Sheikah warrior let out an impatient sigh as she continued to watch the unfolding battle. Her desire to aid the hero and the girl only grew, however, as she watched one of the bokoblins land a heavy blow to the hero's side with its serrated knife. The girl gasped in horror as she watched him collapse to his knees, though he still tried to fight back against the marauding creatures even though blood was already pouring from the wound. And yet, just as the violent monsters began to converge on the couple, a sudden shadow jumped down from the trees right over their heads, standing between them and the monsters as they prepared to fight the growling beasts.

"W-who… who are you?!" the girl exclaimed, clearly startled at this stranger's sudden appearance.

"Don't worry," Sheik said, not glancing back as she tore her knives through several bokoblins at once. "I'm a friend."

The hero and the girl exchanged a glance at this, both of them admittedly surprised as they watched the Sheikah warrior take out the horde of bokoblins with impressive speed using her small kunais alone. By the time she was done, the girl had helped the hero to his feet so they could both meet their savior properly.

"That was amazing!" the hero exclaimed in awe as the Sheikah warrior turned to face him. "I don't know who you are, but thanks for helping us. It's been a while since I've fought any monsters, so I guess I'm a little rusty."

Though the hero let out a small, depreciative laugh at this, Sheik kept her scarlet gaze intently focused on him, her heart aching as she noticed the physical similarities he shared to her own hero up close. "It was no trouble, hero," she said simply, wondering why neither Proxi nor Fi had joined her yet.

"Who are you anyway?" the girl asked with a bewildered frown. "And where did you come from?" She gasped, however as she noticed the familiar symbol on the warrior's chest plate. "Are you a Sheikah?"

"Y-yes," Sheik said hesitantly, knowing that wasn't entirely true. But still, she knew it would be easier for now to maintain her disguise, to avoid arousing confusion. "I am a warrior of the Sheikah tribe. You can call me Sheik."

"Wow!" the girl exclaimed with an interested smile. "Link, if Sheik is a Sheikah, then she's from the same tribe as Impa was! Did you know her?" she asked the Sheikah warrior.

"Oh… well, in a way…" Sheik said vaguely, knowing that the girl couldn't have possibly been talking about the Impa from her time.

"We both owe Impa a lot," the hero said with a thoughtful smile. "She saved Zelda's life," he nodded to the girl beside him.

"Well, so did you, Link," the girl, Zelda, Sheik realized, laughed playfully. The Sheikah warrior did her best to put away her hidden awe over the fact that she shared a name with Hylia's incarnation, especially as she watched her press close to the hero, which he gladly accepted by wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Well, yeah," Link laughed a bit bashfully. "But like I keep telling you: I would have done that even if it hadn't been my destiny."

Zelda's warm smile only grew, especially as her hero gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Sheik's eyes widened somewhat at this, unable to look at the two of them without seeing herself and her own Link sharing similar sentiments, even though they never had before.

Upon noticing that Sheik was distracted, Fi decided to make her appearance, with Proxi trailing not too far behind. The sword spirit had already anticipated her former master's surprise at seeing her again, though she stopped short as he happened to glance up and notice her hovering about a foot behind the Sheikah warrior.

"F-Fi…" Link said, his voice but a stunned whisper as he moved away from both the girl and the Sheikah warrior to meet his former companion.

"Greetings, Master Link…" Fi spoke, a strange hint of warmth in her otherwise cold tone. She opened her mouth to say something more, but she apparently decided against it as she met her master's awed, wide-eyed gaze instead.

"How… how are you here?" the hero asked somewhat breathlessly. "I mean—not that I'm not happy to see you or anything like that. I _really _am! I missed you a lot, and it's so great to see you again and this is really crazy and I-" He cut himself off with an awkward chuckle as he realized he was basically rambling at this point, overcome with several emotions, but largely just joy. "It's just… I thought you said you were going to sleep inside the Master Sword… forever..."

"I realize that my sudden reappearance might be rather disconcerting to you, Master," Fi said rather comfortingly. "And to you as well, your grace." Zelda nodded with a concerned frown, knowing just as well as Link did that Fi should have been eternally resting inside of the blade of evil's bane. "And so I shall try to explain the situation in the most simplistic of ways, with the aid of my ally, Sheik."

"Y-yes," Sheik spoke up, still rather distracted by the hero. "Perhaps it would be best to get the most vital piece of information out of the way first. I am not actually of this time period; I hail from the very distant future, and I was only sent to this era by the power of an evil witch that seeks to conquer the Hyrule of my time."

"Hyrule?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh that's such a beautiful word!" Zelda exclaimed with a delighted smile. "What does it mean?"

"O-oh… well…" Sheik stammered, remembering what Fi had said about Hyrule not being founded in this time period. Thankfully though, the sword spirit came to her rescue.

"Hyrule is the name that will eventually be given to this land," Fi explained succinctly, not even giving the couple any time to marvel at this information before moving on. "The black witch Cia has incited a war in the land and in her conquest, she has captured the hero of the era."

"Wait," Link cut in, trying his best to keep up everything. "There's another hero in the future?"

"Yes," Fi confirmed. "In fact, he was the one to reawaken me not too long ago. The witch had sent her monsters to this era, or more specifically, to Skyloft, in the hopes of subduing it as well. The hero of the future came to this time and aided the knights in repelling her forces, which included the revived Ghirahim."

"So _that _was the aura of immense darkness I felt the other day!" Zelda exclaimed in realization. "Regardless of how that witch managed to bring him back, Ghirahim must have tried to bring back Demise again!"

"But Demise is gone," the hero said dismissively, though it was clear he was slightly confused. "I defeated him about six months ago, remember?"

"Master, this was not the Demise you know," Fi stated eloquently. "It was the Imprisoned, summoned through the Gate of Souls, the harbinger of monsters opened by Cia. But fear not; my new master successfully managed to vanquish it and defeat Ghirahim, successfully ensuring the safety of this era."

"New master?" Link asked with a downcast expression. "But Fi, I thought I was-"

"You are," the sword spirit said, focusing her gaze on him intently. "I consider all bearers of the Spirit of the Hero to be my master, regardless of the era they hail from."

"Going back to the matter at hand…" Sheik cut in, more than eager to return to the present. "When Cia captured our hero, she separated us from our other allies by sending us back to this time. And so it is that we must ask you for your aid, Hero of the Skies, in helping us return to the present."

"Me?" the hero asked with a frown. "But how can I help?"

"The flow of time has been sealed off by the witch's power," Fi began efficiently. "The only thing that can break that seal is the Master Sword. And, as you know, Master, you are the only one capable of possessing its sacred might."

"But… the Master Sword can't travel through time…" Zelda shook her head. "Can it?"

"Indeed it can," the sword spirit affirmed. "You grace, you blessed it with the ability to transcend time's flow eons ago."

"I guess I didn't get that memory…" the girl said, giving the hero a sly, joking grin.

"We'll be happy to do whatever we can to help, Sheik," Link said with a kind smile. "After all, we owe you one for saving us from those monsters earlier."

"You have my thanks, hero," Sheik nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. "I am in your debt."

"Oh, you don't have to call me that," the hero said good-naturedly. "You can just call me Link. It _is _my name after all."

Sheik was glad that her pained expression was covered as Link merely laughed playfully as him and Zelda linked arms. "I don't think so…" she muttered to herself rather morosely, her heart still unable to chase away the grief and regret simply looking at the Hero of the Skies gave her. She knew he wasn't the same as her own Link, far from it in fact based on his humble personality. But still, they were both heroes, and by all accounts, they both bore the same soul and spirit within them. It was as though the Sheikah warrior was so close to her own hero, yet still so far away all at once.

It was for that very reason that Sheik lingered a ways behind Link and Zelda as Fi lead the way to the Master Sword's resting place, the Sealed Temple. The Sheikah warrior couldn't help but watch the couple rather wistfully, finding herself grow a bit jealous with each flirtatious smile they shared, each gentle touch passed between them, each brief, romantic kiss they exchanged. She had never gotten to experience such things with her own hero, but the thought of doing so now filled her with a burning desire and a chilling fear that she would never get the chance to. In fact, for all she knew, Cia could be doing all of those things and more with Link at that very moment, and though Sheik didn't want to even entertain the thought, there was a chance, however small, that he was accepting it all openly and willingly. And she knew that if that really was true, then her soul would certainly shatter, for, as she was quickly coming to realize, she could not survive without him by her side.

And yet, as sorrowful as watching the hero and the girl interact made the Sheikah warrior, she couldn't help but be the slightest bit intrigued by their unique bond. Which was why Sheik decided to engage Zelda in conversation about it as Link went on ahead to catch up with his former companion after being apart for the past several months.

"So… you two seem to be awfully close, don't you?" Sheik asked, forcing her tone to be aloof and casual.

"We are," Zelda nodded with a smile. "You know, Link's not just my chosen hero… He's also been my best friend, for as long as either of us can remember. I've always sort of had a little bit of a crush on him, but I only decided to make my feelings known to him after, well… after both of us nearly died. And you know what?"

"What?" the Sheikah warrior asked.

"He's always felt the same way…" the girl said with a blissful smile as she looked towards her beloved hero. Sheik was silent upon hearing this, a small part of her wondering if such a relationship could ever transpire between her and her own hero, even if they didn't have the same lengthy, time-tested history. "He risked life and limb, just to save me…" Zelda continued, glancing down thoughtfully. "And if I ever had to, I wouldn't even ask myself twice about doing the same for him…"

"Why?" Sheik asked, even if she truly did know the answer deep down. After all, that very seem feeling was what was essentially pushing her forward now, driving her to find a way back to the present so she could be with him again.

"Because…" the girl said, still smiling softly. "When you're in love with someone, you'll go to any lengths for them. No matter what you have to do or where you have to go."

Sheik ruminated on this poetic advice for a moment as Zelda cheerfully continued on to hold hands with Link once more, both of them kissing as they reunited. The Sheikah warrior could hardly deny the feelings she had for her own hero anymore, and she knew that it had very well been her own error in concealing them that had lead him to act so recklessly and thoughtlessly before. But she knew now that she could no longer afford to keep it all within her. Instead, she would do as her very ancestor had advised. She would go to whatever length she had to in order to find him, to free him, to love him. She would gladly throw herself into the black witch's line of fire, despite her fears, and fight for him, especially after he had fought so hard for her. And, despite all of the harsh words and bitter feelings that had once been between them, she would not rest until he was safe and free by her side once more. No matter what she had to do or where she had to go.

* * *

**So yeah, this chapter was sorta all over the place, but oh well. It was fun writing all of the different Links and Zeldas, and it will be even more fun writing them all interacting with each other in the few chapters! But for next time, I think we'll drop in on Link and Cia and see whats going down between them (something steamy, I imagine hehe) Anyway, before I go I just HAVE to talk about Breath of the Wild. It looks SO good and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on it next year! I am so excited about exploring every inch of the new Hyrule in all its beautiful glory (and burning it all to the ground while Link's in his boxers because that's a thing you can do in that game and I love it) But for now, I'll leave you all with a non-HW question for once: What are your thoughts on Breath of the Wild? Let me know in the REVIEWS! Until next time!**


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